Ten Progress Pride flag banners went up on CenterPoint Energy light poles along Westheimer Road in Houston's Montrose Cultural District Tuesday, stretching from just east of Taft Street to Montrose Boulevard. The installation was announced by Pride Houston 365, Mayor John Whitmire, and Houston City Council Member Joe Panzarella, and it was privately funded through a donation from Whitmire himself, according to Pride Houston 365.
The banners land on the same corridor where Houston's rainbow crosswalk once greeted drivers at Westheimer and Taft, before crews ground it down and paved over it at 2 a.m. last October. As Click2Houston reports, the crosswalk removal was part of a broader statewide directive. Police arrested three demonstrators who sat in the street to block the paving machinery that morning, according to Texas Scorecard.
From State Mandate to Street-Level Standoff
The crosswalk's removal traced back to a directive from Governor Greg Abbott, who ordered the Texas Department of Transportation to have local governments strip “political ideologies” and non-standard pavement markings from roadways within 30 days or risk losing state and federal transportation funding, per the Office of the Governor. The directive cited federal and state guidelines regarding roadway safety.
Mayor Whitmire defended the decision not to fight the state in court, telling the Houston Chronicle that such a battle was one the city “would lose,” one that threatened critical municipal funding for public health and criminal justice departments. Houston was not alone: the Texas Department of Transportation denied a request from the City of Dallas to exempt its Oak Lawn rainbow crosswalks, forcing that city to pave over its own street art despite arguing the colorful markings enhanced pedestrian visibility, FOX 4 Dallas reported.
A Crosswalk's Memorial Purpose
The Westheimer and Taft crosswalk carried weight beyond its rainbow colors. First installed in 2017, it was created as a memorial to 21-year-old Alex Hill, who was killed in a hit-and-run crash at that intersection in January 2016, according to Visit Houston.
Rather than let the corridor go dark, local LGBTQ+ advocate Jack Valinski began lobbying Houston Public Works to reinstate the long-dormant Lower Westheimer Banner District, working to shift Pride symbols from public street surfaces onto utility poles instead, according to city council testimony. The banner corridor shifts Pride symbols to utility poles rather than public roadway surfaces.
Advocates Describe What the Banners Mean
Kerry-Ann Morrison, Jack Valinski, and Abbie Kamin spearheaded the banner effort, with Council Member Joe Panzarella and city officials Mario Castillo and Alejandra Salinas recognized for their support. Panzarella said the banners recognize the LGBTQIA+ community's role in Houston's history and culture. Morrison said the banners represent a sense of belonging for LGBTQIA+ Houstonians, and she said she hopes someone sees the banners and feels there is a place for them in Houston.
Whitmire supported the new banners with a private donation intended to protect them from political intervention. The banners are in the public right-of-way.
Pride Banners on Utility Poles
Houston's banners are displayed on utility poles rather than on roadways.
The new banners add a Pride display to Montrose.
