Crews from the Florida Department of Transportation quietly painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk in Orlando overnight.
The rainbow crosswalk was a symbol of queer resilience after the deadly 2016 nightclub massacre that left 49 people fatally shot in what was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time. By the time morning came, the colorful tribute was replaced with stark black-and-white lines.
The erasure is due to a new directive from Donald Trump's homophobic Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about "roadway safety" that stressed consistent roadway markings "free from distractions." What this is really about is trying to erase LGBTQ people.
It's worth noting that the state had previously approved the rainbow design, which was fully compliant with national safety standards. And research shows colorful crosswalks actually improve pedestrian safety.
Installed a year after the 2016 massacre, the crosswalk stood as both a marker of mourning and defiance for eight years.
LGBTQ+ leaders and survivors of the Pulse massacre denounced the erasure as an act of desecration.
"In the middle of the night, FDOT painted over our rainbow crosswalk at the Pulse Memorial - a place where 49 mostly LGBTQ+ people were murdered," wrote Florida state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani on X. She told The Advocate the crosswalk was painted over "in the middle of the night, FDOT painted over it, with no notice, no warning, and did not tell the city."
But - as we are writing this report, Rep. Eskamani has just posted a photo to her Instagram with the caption "CAN'T STOP ORLANDO'S SHINE!!" apparently showing the rainbow crosswalk has already been repainted.
In a statement, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called the removal "a cruel political act."
"We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk on Orange Avenue."
"This callous action of hastily removing part of a memorial to what was at the time our nation's largest mass shooting, without any supporting safety data, or discussion is a cruel political act."