On Sunday, Oct. 26, color poured across the driveway of St. John the Apostle Metropolitan Community Church as dozens gathered for what organizers called a “rainbow protest in love.” The event came after the state of Florida ordered the removal of rainbow crosswalks earlier this year, citing traffic safety and uniformity. In June, the Florida Department of Transportation banned the use of public roads for social or ideological messages and warned it could withhold transportation funds from cities and counties that don’t comply.
In downtown Fort Myers, community members chose to respond with paintbrushes and prayer, honoring the 49 people killed in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
“There is a very clear signal marker, that you have an intention, that goes beyond just making sure that crosswalks meet a uniform traffic code,” said the Rev. Craig Cranston, the church’s pastor. “That is just an unacceptable level of exercise by our government. So we said, 'no, we’re going to paint a rainbow flag. We’re going to paint those 49 names. We’re going to celebrate and memorialize those folks.'”
Rows of folding chairs and tables lined in front of the church as speakers offered reflections, including Mayor Kevin Anderson, the vice president of Visuality and the president of the Interfaith Alliance and more. When the final prayer was spoken, singers stepped forward to close the ceremony with a song. Behind the microphones, a large rainbow flag stretched across the church driveway. One by one, attendees dipped paintbrushes in black and wrote the names of the Pulse victims across the bright colors.
“The government can’t come and rip up that rainbow flag,” Cranston said. “[It’s] clearly visible from the street. Anybody that comes anywhere near our church property is going to see it, and they're going to know that we celebrate LGBTQ people.”
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