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A community in Salisbury, Maryland is upset about the removal of its rainbow Pride crosswalk.
“If you don’t want to be called a bigot,” Council member Michele Gregory said to Salisbury Mayor Randy Taylor, “don’t do bigoted things.”
A Maryland mayor’s decision to eliminate the city’s only rainbow crosswalks has become the latest flash point in a nationwide campaign to strip LGBTQ+ symbols from public spaces.
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The Salisbury crosswalks, installed in 2018 and repainted each year by volunteers, were removed on November 11 after Salisbury Mayor Randy Taylor ordered crews to mill away the paint at dawn, The Washington Post reports. Taylor, who narrowly won office in 2023, said the city must ensure “neutrality” on government property. Salisbury is located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
In May, he announced that the Pride design would be replaced with a rotating artist-created pattern as part of a new program called “The Crosswalk Canvas.” He maintained that “government property remains neutral and does not promote any particular movement or cause,” local ABC affiliate WMDT reported.
Related: Red states are destroying their rainbow crosswalks. Here’s what you should know
That explanation, however, collided with the lived experience of LGBTQ+ residents who saw the crosswalks as a rare public affirmation in a conservative region. “It really made the community feel safer,” 23-year-old Jonathan Franklin told The Washington Post, describing the crosswalks as a signal that queer people “are part of the fabric of Salisbury.”
As The Advocate has previously reported, states including Florida, Texas, and Idaho have ordered cities to eliminate rainbow crosswalks, citing federal guidance against “non-standard” markings. But the rationale is contested: studies highlighted in that reporting show decorative crosswalks are associated with fewer crashes, not more, calling into question the safety argument officials often invoke.
In Salisbury, the political tension burst into public view during a city council meeting last month, when Taylor slammed the table, defending himself against accusations of bigotry. “If you don’t want to be called a bigot,” Council member Michele Gregory shot back, “don’t do bigoted things.”
For many in the community, the question now is not just what disappeared but what comes next. Hair salon owner Alfred Brewer told The Post he’s contemplating leaving Salisbury, while longtime resident Suzanna Mallow said she plans to stay and push back.
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