Tell Ron DeSantis: Don’t hide LGBTQ history!

Overnight on August 21, 2025, Florida transportation workers painted over the rainbow memorial crosswalk outside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub — a tribute to the 49 lives stolen in 2016. City leaders called it a cruel political act. Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the move, saying state roads shouldn’t be used for political purposes.

This wasn’t an accident or a one-off. Weeks earlier, the Florida Department of Transportation issued a memo banning surface art that conveys social or political messages — a policy now being used to strip away LGBTQ visibility in public spaces.

Orlando officials have formally asked the state for permission to restore the crosswalk. Community members have rallied, even chalking the rainbow back in — and some were arrested and later released. We need to add public pressure to make sure the memorial is restored for good.

This fits a broader pattern from the DeSantis administration: signing multiple anti-LGBTQ laws — from the Don’t Say Gay expansion to attacks on gender-affirming care — and even omitting LGBTQ and Hispanic communities from this year’s official Pulse remembrance statement.

Will you speak out right now?

👉 Add your name: Tell Gov. DeSantis to restore the Pulse memorial crosswalk and stop erasing LGBTQ history.

Every signature helps show that the Pulse memorial is sacred — and that our shared history won’t be erased.

Thanks,
Mary