Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent letters to all 50 governors calling for the removal of Pride crosswalks. Florida was the first to comply. Within days, state officials painted over the rainbow crosswalk at Orlando’s Pulse memorial, the site of the 2016 massacre that claimed 49 LGBTQ+ lives. The next morning, though, residents showed up with chalk, restoring the colors by hand. By evening, the crosswalk was painted back in rainbow hues. “We refuse to be erased. We will not let hate win,” said Nadine Smith of Equality Florida.

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Citizens were quick to call out the absurdity of stationing a squadron of officers to guard a single crosswalk. “Having the police watch over us is unsettling,” one visitor told local outlet WESH. “It’s a sign of the times and sadly becoming the new normal.” Rep. Anna Eskamani echoed the frustration: “It’s sad that we’re in a position where state resources are being used to enforce colors on the road. You have potholes to fix, real crime to go after.”