San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ community will host “Unity in The Community” to celebrate and protect the city’s rainbow crosswalk.
SAN ANTONIO — Pride San Antonio and the local LGBTQ+ community announced a big celebration this week in hopes of saving the rainbow crosswalks.
Multiple organizations, including Pride San Antonio, Producer of Pride Bigger Than Texas and San Antonio’s OFFICIAL Pride Celebration will host the “Unity in The Community” event on Thursday, Oct. 30 at the rainbow crosswalks, located at 1500 North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street at 6p.m.
During the event, The City of San Antonio Office Of Historic Preservation will install the inaugural “History Here” marker for the Pride Cultural Heritage District. The marker recognizes the Alamo City’s “gay strip,” which has historically been home to several LGBTQ+ owned and related businesses, according to a press release.
The “Unity In The Community,” celebration will also honor the teams that qualified from San Antonio to play in the Division E International Pride Softball 2025 Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), including the winners – Team Plastics. The champions faced off against 18 teams to win the gold, putting San Antonio on the international map of LGBTQ+ softball. The San Antonio PRIDE Softball League, which launched in 205, will also be recognized for its accomplishments.
Lastly, they will host a “Community Roll Call” to sign a LGBTQ+ community resolution, in an effort to show city leaders that the crosswalks “are a symbol of our unity and heritage and since our community and heritage are not fleeting nor temporary they cannot be erased nor removed,” according to the press release.
The celebration comes after Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest directive to remove political or ideological markings from Texas roadways stirred debate over free speech and put the city’s rainbow crosswalk in the spotlight.
On Oct. 8, Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Transportation to enforce existing regulations that prohibit political symbols or messages on public roadways. The governor said the move is aimed at improving safety and ensuring consistency across Texas roads.
Cities including Austin and Houston have already announced plans to remove their rainbow crosswalks to comply with the directive. Meanwhile, San Antonio officials are seeking an exemption that could be granted if they demonstrate a public safety benefit or “compelling justification,” according to TxDOT.