A rainbow crosswalk in Orlando, Florida, that was part of the city’s Pulse Memorial was painted over by the state late Wednesday night.
The memorial honored the 49 people fatally shot by a gunman at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in 2016, in what was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer criticized the removal of the crosswalk in a social media post on Thursday, calling it a “cruel political act.”
“We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk on Orange Avenue,” he wrote. “This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando’s commitment to honor the 49 lives taken.”
Dyer added that the crosswalk adheres to safety standards and was actually installed by the state. It was created in 2017.
Brandon Wolf, one of the Pulse shooting’s surviving victims, said the removal was a desecration of the deceased victims’ memories.
“In the dark of night, they came to erase our show of solidarity, our declaration that we will never forget,” Wolf wrote on X. “The cowards who feel threatened by our lives should feel lucky they didn’t have to bury the ones they love — then watch the state come & desecrate their memory.”
Requests for comment sent to the Florida Department of Transportation and the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis were not immediately responded.
The crosswalk’s removal follows a directive last month from President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary, Sean Duffy. On July 1, Duffy sent a letter to all 50 states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, about roadway safety that stressed “consistent” roadway markings that are “free from distractions.” In a social media post that same day, Duffy shared the letter along with a message taking direct aim at rainbow crosswalks, which are typically intended to symbolize LGBTQ Pride.
“Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,” he wrote. “Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of @USDOT roadway funding that it’s limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. It’s that simple.”
