Midtown's Rainbow Crosswalks Removed

Supporters of a temporary rainbow decoration of crosswalks in the LGBTQ heartland of Midtown are continuing to push for the city to allow the colorful display to stay, despite the crosswalks’ return to “normal” over the weekend.

Crews were at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue blasting away the rainbow colors painted on the four crosswalks to celebrate the most recent iteration of the Atlanta Pride Festival, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The moment was bittersweet for Robert Sepulveda, Jr., the man behind the campaign to install the display of the city’s tolerance and acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Although the city had allowed the painting to happen and let the crosswalks stay painted two weeks after the festival had ended, Sepulveda believed the city had reneged on an earlier promise to leave the sidewalks painted permanently.

“The LGBT community is here all the time, not just for PRIDE weekend and a temporary art permit from October 3rd to October 19th is not fair,” The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks wrote on Facebook Sept. 20.

10th St. and Piedmont Ave. has been the epicenter of the LGBT community in Atlanta for decades and these crosswalks are the culmination of the thousands of people who have and continue to fight for LGBT rights in Atlanta. Its more than just paint on the ground, its an acknowledgement of acceptance, it will also be a beacon of hope and progress to the many that will travel through them.”

In September, city officials told WABE news that the decision to revert the crosswalks to their original configuration was done due to safety concerns.

“The ATLRC team will continue to pursue permanency,” The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks wrote on Facebook on Oct. 21.