Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio’s newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
San Antonio’s LGBT community and city officials dedicated rainbow sidewalks along Main Avenue on Sunday.
The ceremony follows a months-long dispute over LGBTQ+ representation that began after the state ordered the removal of rainbow crosswalks installed in 2018.
San Antonio’s District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur, who represents most of downtown and the Near Northside, said it had been a long process, but she was proud of the result.
“For the last few months, it’s really felt like sometimes the state comes down and can just tell us what we have to do. And to me, this was a low-key flex of ‘you might be able to control the streets, but you can’t control our sidewalks,’” she said.
Joey Palacios
/
Texas Public Radio
District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur, and District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez.
The removal of the crosswalk and the installation of the sidewalks cost $170,000, funded by the city. The move was opposed by the council’s only two conservative members, District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears and District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte.
“I know it was hard to see when it happened, but I want our community to know that we are three of 11 fierce advocates. Maybe not 11, but most of us are fierce advocates for our community, and we will continue to do so because of you all,” Kaur said, referring to the 11-member San Antonio City Council.
She was joined by District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito and District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, the city’s first openly gay mayor, was not present for the ribbon-cutting. However, a representative for her office delivered a statement. A spokesperson for the mayor said she was traveling at the time.
The sidewalks are far more visible than the previous rainbow crosswalks. They stretch along Main Avenue from Laurel Avenue to Park Avenue in all six colors and include the symbols of the progress flag for transgender and nonbinary representation.
Lynz Andrews, a local performer and director for LGBT policy and advocacy for state Rep. Josey Garcia, said she welcomed the inclusion of the new flag.
“You have the progressive flag, right? You have the rainbow flag, the trans inclusion, and, of course, the people of color inclusions, which is really important because this community is really based on so many different identities and cultures, and I think it’s very important. And just by the looks of it, it’s just gonna unite us even more with everything going on,” she said.
Among the businesses along the roadway are the Strip SA, which owns the bars Sparky’s Pub, Knockout, Eagle SA and The Heat. John Barker, one of the owners along with his husband Jerry Jimenez, said the city has been stepping up its support of the LGBT community.
“Many cities are scaling back and not making public comments or public support, but the city of San Antonio has really gone full throttle to support our community to make sure that we know that we always belong,” he said.
Joey Palacios
/
Texas Public Radio
The Strip SA owners Jerry Jimenez and John Barker.
Jimenez added the goal is to make this space welcoming for everyone.
“We want to bring the community out together in a safe space, having a good time. But I also wanted to just do a special shout out to the actual crew that put the sidewalk in, because they came in day after day, diligently and with great care putting it all together. And we are so grateful and thankful to them,” Jimenez said.
The installation began in January but was temporarily paused by a joint lawsuit filed by Pride San Antonio and Texas Conservative Liberty Forum. The suit drew immediate and ongoing criticism from members of the city’s LGBT community and calls for boycotts against Pride San Antonio.
James Poindexter, a Pride San Antonio board member, said the organization had never opposed the creation of the sidewalks but wanted to stop the removal of the crosswalks, which Pride San Antonio had helped fund.
He said the sidewalks are a continuation of visibility for the district.
“We lost the crosswalks in an unfortunate situation, and we need to use the crosswalks message as a lesson for how strong we need to be moving forward. Because we fought a lot for the crosswalks, but we’re going to need to fight even harder. We’ve learned that we’re going to have to fight harder no matter what, because this mentality of trying to erase us is going to continue,” Poindexter said.
Joey Palacios
/
Texas Public Radio
The sidewalks along The Heat nightclub.
In recent months, Pride San Antonio has received vocal opposition at its board meetings over the perception of the lawsuit. The organization has since announced a transition in leadership and began appointing new board members at its March membership meeting, though it is unclear when they will begin serving.
Although the sidewalks have been added, there are future plans for an art installation, potentially using pieces of the removed crosswalk. Michael Rendon, chair of the city’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board, said there would be a call for artists to help bring ideas forward.
“Right now, we’re looking for an artist, or artists, anybody that’s welcome, hopefully part of the community, that can help us kind of get an idea of what we can do with those,” he said. “The idea is to kind of create something and then display it somewhere here on the Strip. That way, they’re kept here safe and everybody can admire.”
He added that those interested can contact the advisory committee to share ideas.