by Wayne Besen • August 17, 2025 • News, Politics, Truth Wins Out • Comments (0) • 349

TWO Hails Florida Cities Refusing to Erase Rainbow Crosswalks

The Power of ‘No’ is Key to Thwarting Autocrats like DeSantis and Trump

Delray Beach, FL – Truth Wins Out today hailed the impressive leadership shown by multiple Florida communities, including Delray Beach, Key West, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando, for resisting the state and federal effort to remove rainbow-colored crosswalks—an effort driven not by safety concerns, but by authoritarian impulses to marginalize LGBTQ people.

“At a time of growing authoritarianism, it is critical that strong leaders discover the power of saying ‘No.’” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “When asked to participate in oppressive actions—be it censorship, erasure, or intimidation—public officials have a moral duty to resist. The leaders in Delray Beach, Key West, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando are choosing inclusion, courage, and democracy over complicity.”

According to the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel:

On July 1, President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, wrote in a social media post that “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”

DeSantis’s transportation secretary, Jared Perdue, wrote a day later that Florida wants to “keep our transportation facilities free & clear of political ideologies.”

Besides the Perdue threat to transportation funding, the state has just started selecting cities that it plans to scrutinize as part of its DOGE examination of how local governments are spending money.

In defiance of Trump’s edict and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ obsequious behavior, the Delray Beach City Commission reversed an earlier directive and decided to keep its Pride-themed intersection. City Commissioner Rob Long bravely declared that removing the intersection would leave “a legacy of cowardice and capitulation.”

He continued, “Everyone’s so scared of the state right now”. He vowed to stand up for local control, “especially when it comes to the character and values of our own community. So that raises a question: When do we stand our ground and when do we surrender without even a conversation?”

In historian Timothy Snyder’s 2017 book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, he warns against the dangers of anticipatory obedience—the tendency of people to comply with authoritarian demands before being forced to. He frames this as the very first rule for resisting authoritarianism: “Do not obey in advance.”

“We are grateful that these Florida cities are not obeying in advance and meekly succumbing to tyranny,” said Besen.

Key West, home to one of Florida’s most photographed Pride landmarks at Duval and Petronia streets, voted on August 6 to explore all legal avenues to preserve its rainbow crosswalks, branding them a symbol of inclusivity and essential to the city’s cultural identity.

Meanwhile, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale officials have not removed their rainbow crosswalks and are currently reviewing and resisting the new state guidance, signaling solidarity and a refusal to give in to politically motivated erasure.

In Orlando, the rainbow crosswalk near the Pulse shooting memorial remains in place. Local leaders emphasize that the bright, Pride-colored pavement is vital to the city’s identity and healing, noting that painted intersections are proven to be safer—one analysis found a more than 50 percent reduction in crashes at such sites. They argue the effort to whitewash these crosswalks reflects discrimination, not traffic safety—as the gaslighting of Trump and DeSantis disingenuously claim.

Truth Wins Out emphasized that the DeSantis-Trump campaign against rainbow crosswalks is not an isolated action, but part of a broader effort to impose a rigid, right-wing worldview on Democratic Florida communities. From targeting LGBTQ students and teachers in schools, to punishing businesses that support diversity, these odious administrations have consistently pursued policies aimed at intimidation and control.

“These rainbow crosswalks are not dangerous to drivers,” Besen said. “What they are dangerous to is the narrative that being gay is something shameful that must be hidden. That’s why DeSantis and Trump are desperate to remove them—because they symbolize pride, authenticity, and community. Public officials in Florida deserve our full support for rejecting this politics of hate and choosing inclusion instead.”

About Truth Wins Out

Truth Wins Out is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to advance liberty and democracy, protect the rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities, combat religious extremism, and fight against the spread of disinformation.

Contact: Wayne Besen, Executive Director, wbesen@truthwinsout.org