Key West Has Installed Permanent Rainbow Crosswalks

In 2015, Key West became the first place in Florida to install permanent rainbow crosswalks—a celebration of LGBTQ+ pride that reflected the city’s “One Human Family” motto. But a few years later, the city decided to repave its historic Duval Street, which required tearing up the four colorful paths at the intersection of Petronia Street.

The rainbow crosswalks finally returned this week—just in time for Pride Month—and they’re even more vibrant than before. The old ones were essentially regular white crosswalks with each empty space filled in with a different color, whereas the new paths feature long, colored stripes with a white stripe along the top and bottom edges.

According to NBC 6 South Florida, workers positioned the thermoplastic stripes on the street and attached them to the pavement below with heat from propane torches. Key West mayor Teri Johnson and other officials then commemorated the new landmarks, located in the heart of the city's entertainment district, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. (The ribbon was also rainbow colored, and all participants wore masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus.)

“The rainbow crosswalks mean that everybody is welcome, everybody is equal, everybody is recognized, and that we do really abide by the ‘One Human Family’ spirit,” Johnson said.

Key West isn’t the only place with permanent rainbow paths; as LGBTQ Nation reports, you can find them in San Francisco, West Hollywood, Seattle, Philadelphia, Toronto, and other cities, too. And while the small island city has postponed its Pride events until November due to the pandemic, some of the world's biggest Pride parades and festivals are simply moving the party online: Here are 10 events to check out this month.