About 75 people joined a community vigil for Austin's rainbow crosswalks on Tuesday evening. The street art was removed by the city following an order by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Supporters met at 8 p.m. at Fourth and Colorado streets, where the LGBTQ+-inspired crosswalks were once painted.
Tamara Hoover, the owner of Austin queer bar Cheer Up Charlies, said part of what made the intersection so special is that it's steeped in history.
"Fourth Street has always been recognized as the queer or gay community street," Hoover said. "When I used to come here in the '90s, we would always come to Fourth Street. This is where the clubs were."
Speakers at the event condemned the government for removing the crosswalks and lamented the loss of the art, but were also optimistic that queer culture will be preserved.
In place of the street art, LGBTQ+ banners hang on posts above the street, and a community mural was painted.
Supporters call for dedicated space for LGBTQ+ community
Drag performer Brigitte Bandit, who helped organize the event, said she would like to see more representation at the intersection.
"Austin doesn't have a gayborhood the way that other major Texas cities do," Bandit said. "And so I do think the city carving out and protecting a space dedicated to the LGBTQ community that can't be targeted so easily by state attacks like we've seen with the crosswalk would really, really matter, especially right now."
In a post on Instagram, Bandit invited people from the community to share stories and music.
"This isn't just about paint on a street," the post said. "It's about visibility. It's about our neighborhood. It's about refusing to let our history and our presence be chipped away piece by piece."
One of the participants at the event, Jay Tee Thomas, said he came to support the community in person and try to effect change. Thomas said he usually only participates online.
" I have really been championing this idea of tangible change," Thomas said. "A philosophy could be perfect, but it doesn't change everything in real life. You have to actually go out. You have to actually talk to people. You have to actually experience things."
The intersection was painted overnight Sunday by city of Austin workers, after a 2025 directive from the Texas Department of Transportation.
The governor instructed cities and counties to remove any signage, markings and signals that did not "directly support traffic control." Cities that refused to comply risked losing state and federal funding for roads.
"Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways," Abbott said in an October 2025 press release. "To keep Texans moving safely and free from distraction, we must maintain a safe and consistent transportation network across Texas."
Light-rail project puts bigger plans for intersection on hold
Cities in Texas responded differently after the directive. In San Antonio, the city painted sidewalks with the rainbow colors in its Pride Cultural Heritage District, according to reporting from Texas Public Radio.
Austin originally tried to appeal the decision. In the documents sent to TxDOT, the city cited a 46% decline in crash rates in roadways that were painted. There were also no pedestrian deaths across the locations.
The study used data from before and after the art installations, using five-year spans, when available, according to the document from the city of Austin. Other, similar roadways were also used as a control group.
The city also cited a 2022 study showing that art in intersections and roads had a strong positive correlation with improved safety benefits, especially for pedestrians. However, the study directly recommended that a larger study be conducted to determine the effectiveness.
A task force was created to figure out how to pay homage to Austin's history and culture through art, according to Steven Rivas, a District 3 commissioner on the city of Austin LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission.
Rivas said the task force did not consider painting sidewalks due to the upcoming construction of the light-rail system that would affect the street.
"If we did any kind of major infrastructure changes on that street, they could be affected by construction within 18 to 24 months," he said.
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