In San Antonio, volunteers defy a Texas ban by painting rainbow crosswalks on private property to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
SAN ANTONIO — While rainbow crosswalks have now been banished from public sites in Texas, volunteers are making sure they will sprout on private property here in San Antonio.
Planned Parenthood South Texas invited volunteers to invest the day in painting a new rainbow crosswalk on their private property on the northwest side on Richland Hills.
Kate Sanchez is the senior manager for organizing and advocacy for the group.
“I think you can’t have one without the other, resilience and resistance, especially now I think this is more of an act of resistance when the city is being threatened to lose millions of dollars in transportation funds because of a rainbow,” Sanchez said, adding “We have amazing community members out here that wanted to contribute and if it takes painting a rainbow on a sidewalk, we’ll do it.”
Volunteers say at a time when some are trying to silence the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important that people are safe, seen, and celebrated at Planned Parenthood health centers.
Mauro De La Tierra is one of the artists who helped organize the effort.
He said “We’re inviting the community to come out and contribute and just kind of like celebrate life and positivity and community,” adding he was impressed by the spirit of the volunteers.
“The importance of solidarity I think right now is very vital so yeah I feel very grateful to be here,” De La Tierra said.
As he handed off a paint refill, another volunteer chimed in “When you’re with your people and everybody’s united and believes in something. I think it’s a wonderful environment, especially in Texas where you feel suppressed, you know, for your views sometimes.”
They say when they’re done with this project, they will move to other San Antonio clinic locations and then on to the Rio Grande Valley.
To learn more about Planned Parenthood South Texas, click HERE.