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San Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk celebrates the LGBTQ+ history of the Main Strip. Credit: Sanford Nowlin<\/p>\nSan Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk celebrates the LGBTQ+ history of the Main Strip. Credit: Sanford Nowlin<\/p>\n
LGBTQ+ nonprofit Pride San Antonio on Tuesday said it will take its fight to protect the rainbow crosswalk at North Main and Evergreen streets to court unless the city ramps up efforts to save the landmark. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope to move forward with the city, standing together in purpose and principle,\u201d Pride San Antonio\u2019s board said in a letter to city officials. \u201cBut, should the city choose not to act, we will pursue our cause in the courts, seeking remedy from the branch of government still committed to the rule of law and the protection of our constitutional and civil rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crosswalk has graced the heavily trafficked intersection in the heart of San Antonio\u2019s LGTBTQ+ nightlife district, the Main Strip, since 2018, when the city adopted a community crosswalk program by ordinance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, rainbow crosswalks came under statewide attack in October<\/a> when Republican Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to oversee removal of all \u201cpolitical ideologies\u201d from public roadways.\u00a0<\/p>\n Houston has already removed its rainbow crosswalk from the Montrose neighborhood, while Austin city officials said they\u2019re moving to comply with Abbott\u2019s orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n During a rally at the San Antonio\u2019s crosswalk in late October, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones \u2014\u00a0the first openly queer person to serve in the office \u2014\u00a0said a fight with the state over Abbott\u2019s directive isn\u2019t in the public\u2019s best interest.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just about me and what\u2019s going to make me feel good,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI have to think about everybody in our community and what this could mean for them: retribution,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have to tell you this. We don\u2019t live in California, we don\u2019t live in Illinois, we live in Texas, and I have an obligation to think of everybody in our community in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Even so, some attending the event, including Pride San Antonio secretary James Poindexter, took issue with the mayor\u2019s statement. <\/p>\n \u201cI think the city should be standing up and fighting because nothing that the governor is doing is legal,\u201d Poindexter told KSAT<\/a> at the time. \u201cThis is beatable.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite Jones\u2019 reservations about going toe-to-toe with Abbott, San Antonio Assistant City Manager John Peterek filed an exemption request<\/a> with TxDOT earlier this month, citing data showing that the rainbow-colored crosswalk has improved pedestrian safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n That exemption request remains under review by TxDOT.\u00a0<\/p>\n Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Rainbow](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rainbow-crosswalk3.webp\")
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