Texas' First Gay-Pride Crosswalk Comes Out In Montrose

HOUSTON, TX — You can't miss the intersection at Westheimer and Taft now. Driving or walking toward it, the bright, bold colors make themselves known from afar. It's Texas' first Gay Pride rainbow intersection, and it's here to stay.

Pride Houston, a group that focuses on LGBT issues, funded the project, to the cost of $15,000. Crews completed the work on Saturday.

"All it can do is amplify what Houston is about," said Frankie Quijano, president of Pride Houston. "We welcome everyone, whatever size, shape color... Let it be a beacon that the LGBT community is still here."

The intersection was selected to honor Alex Hill, a 21-year-old man who was killed by a hit-and-run driver at the spot in January of 2016. The bright colors, in addition to celebrating diverting and gay rights, will, it is hoped, save lives.

"You can see this from 50 yards away," Ellen Cohen, the Houston City Council member whose office secured permits to close the intersection to traffic so the work could be carried out, told the Houston Chronicle.

Cohen said that Montrose, the center of gay culture in Houston, is the rightful home for the rainbow flag intersection. "People understand the rainbow and that message of tolerance and acceptance," she said. "We could have rainbow crosswalks across the city."

Houston has joined a handful of cities around the country with Gay Pride intersections, including Atlanta, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. The practice is not without its detractors, however. Some engineers claim that the bold colors and designs distract drivers and could lead to accidents.

Those warnings haven't dimmed Quijano's enthusiasm: "I'd love to see it all over Montrose," he said. "This is about acceptance, and that is a staple of this community."

— Image: Wikimedia Commons/Benson Kua