America's crosswalks are getting gayer
Click your heels together three times, because you might be crossing the street over a rainbow-colored crosswalk soon.
Rainbow crosswalk proposals are popping all over the country, just in time for the Supreme Court gay marriage ruling scheduled to be issued later this month.
The city of Key West in Florida got their own rainbow crosswalks last week. Next month, it’s Philadelphia. Sacramento, the capital of California, also just approved a rainbow crosswalk.
The new rainbow crosswalks will join a handful of existing colorful intersections around the country.
West Hollywood, 2012
These permanent, city-sanctioned rainbow crosswalks seem to have first appeared in West Hollywood in 2012. City officials said the rainbow crosswalks were there to show gay residents and tourists alike that West Hollywood was a sanctuary for them.
San Francisco, 2014
In 2014 San Francisco’s Castro District kicked it up a notch and covered four cross walks with rainbows.
There’s still a debate of which California city has better rainbow crosswalks.
Miami Beach, 2014-2015
Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive has some oceanfront rainbow crosswalks.
Key West, Florida, 2015
May 28, 2015: the installation of four permanent rainbow crosswalks were placed in the heart of Key West, FL. These beauties represent the island city’s longstanding support for DIVERSITY! You can locate these gems at the intersection of Duval and Petronia streets. #walkingonsunshinewoah #literally #rainbowcrosswalks #diversityisbeautiful
A photo posted by Blue Devils United (@sogie_spotlight) on May 30, 2015 at 8:58am PDT
These are brand new rainbow crosswalks installed last month in Key West, Florida.
Northampton, Massachusetts, 2014
A group called Northampton Rainbow Crosswalk Project came together to raise funds for a rainbow cross walk in its town.
Rainbow crosswalks are generally paid for with private funds that LGBT groups fundraise. LGBT leaders in Philadelphia are currently crowdsourcing $30,000 to pay for their sidewalks.
Austin is apparently not that weird, because the city officials are still debating the rainbow-colored crosswalks that were unanimously approved by the city council last November.
Plans for what was reported to be Europe’s first permanent rainbow crosswalk in England this year were blocked after local residents said the colors could lead to hallucinations.