In Dallas, Texas, the removal of rainbow “gay pride” crosswalks is underway following directives from Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Transportation.
Early Tuesday morning, just one day after city crews began scraping off dozens of the crosswalks in the Oak Lawn neighborhood, 25-year-old Joseph Whiteside was arrested after police spotted him attempting to repaint one.
Officers found Whiteside at the intersection of Cedar Springs Road and Knight Street around 3:30 a.m. He had outlined a rainbow design and planned to fill it in with chalk. A bag containing paint and colored chalk was reportedly found with him. He faces a misdemeanor graffiti charge.
NEW: Man arrested after he tried repainting a gay crosswalk in Dallas after the city scraped off the rainbow paint following an order from Governor Greg Abbott.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 24, 2026
25-year-old Joseph Whiteside was arrested, according to Dallas Voice.
People in the Oak Lawn neighborhood are fuming… https://t.co/rKGlwqGa17 pic.twitter.com/Qn18rP0ted
The removals stem from a state order classifying such designs as “political messaging” and a potential distraction to drivers. Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott directed cities to eliminate them or risk losing state funding.
This move echoes similar actions in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the removal of gay pride crosswalks from state streets. DeSantis stated, “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
Previously, we covered the appearance of a half-a-mile-long pride road in DC, as well as public backlash manifesting in burnouts and skid marks on these murals.
As one X user observed of the reversal: “This is funny, in the span of 2 years we went from people getting arrested for doing donuts on the rainbow crosswalk to people getting arrested for repainting the rainbow crosswalk.”
The Oak Lawn area, which invested significantly in these Pride features to the tune of $100,000 is reportedly upset at seeing taxpayer dollars and local spending undone by state policy prioritizing neutral roadways.
This incident underscores a broader cultural shift. With leaders prioritizing safety, neutrality, and rejecting the weaponization of public infrastructure for ideological causes, Americans are witnessing a rollback of the aggressive Pride displays that dominated cityscapes in recent years.
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