A Pride Progress Crosswalk is replacing West Hollywood’s Rainbow Crosswalk. At a regular West Hollywood City Council Meeting on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, the council approved Item 4.E. in the agenda addressing the Transgender Flag Crosswalk and Inclusivity Update of Rainbow Crosswalks. The council voted unanimously to move the item to consent, approving City Staff’s recommendation to install the Pride Progress Flag at the existing location of the Rainbow Flag on Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard.
A Staff reports states that on December 21, 2020, the City Council directed staff to study the permanent installation of transgender colors in crosswalks located at a prominent intersection along Santa Monica Boulevard and to proceed with updating the existing rainbow flag crosswalks located on San Vicente Boulevard at Santa Monica Boulevard with the rainbow flag that is inclusive to all communities. As part of this directive, staff was asked to gather information from the Transportation Commission, the Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board (LGAB), and the Transgender Advisory Board (TAB) to identify a crosswalk location and return to Council with a recommended location for final approval. The City Council also, directed the Facilities and Field Services Division (Facilities) at its December 21, 2020, meeting to install the inclusive colors at the rainbow crosswalks at Santa Monica and San Vicente Blvd.
The Department of Public Works presented Council’s directive to identify preferred Transgender Flag crosswalk locations to the Transportation Commission, Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board (LGAB) and Transgender Advisory Board (TAB) and received various recommendations. Based on input received from the LGAB and TAB regarding the evolving Flag design, Facilities and Recreation Services postponed the directive to update the Santa Monica/San Vicente crosswalks until Council has an opportunity to review the various recommendations.
On April 21, 2021, the Transportation Commission recommended to place a Transgender Flag crosswalk at the Robertson/Santa Monica intersection and consider placing an additional Transgender Flag crosswalk at the Crescent Heights/Santa Monica intersection. In addition, the Transportation Commission recommended that the LGAB and TAB consider installing the Pride Progress Flag crosswalk at either intersection.
LGAB
On June 10, 2021, the LGAB recommended the crosswalks at the intersections of La Cienega/Santa Monica and Robertson/Santa Monica intersection be painted with the Pride Progress Flag, and the Transgender Flag crosswalks be placed at the San Vicente /Santa Monica intersection.
TAB
On July 7, 2021, the TAB recommended that the crosswalk at the San Vicente/Santa Monica intersection, be painted with the Pride Progress Flag, this intersection currently has the rainbow flag crosswalk. The TAB did not recommend having a specific Transgender Flag Crosswalk, instead the Board recommended adding the Transgender Flag colors to the existing rainbow flag crosswalk, via use of the Pride Progress Flag colors.
In summary, staff received a wide range of comments from the various groups regarding the colors to be included in the crosswalk, which included the following:
- The Transgender Flag should be incorporated into the inclusive rainbow crosswalk (Pride Progress Flag/Colors).
- The San Vicente/Santa Monica rainbow crosswalk should represent all in the LGBTQ community.
- Additional crosswalk locations should be considered for the Pride Progress and Transgender Flag.
A memo was added to the Item 4.E. showing the final version of the Pride Progress Crosswalk that will be installed in place of the rainbow flag. Mayor Pro-Tem, Sepi Shyne pointed out that the flag in the memo was upside down. City manager David Wilson clarified that the flags will be installed correctly.
Mayor Pro-Tem also asked that the Transgender flag fly throughout Transgender Awareness Month similar to the Bi-Pride flag which flew during Bi Visibility Week. The City Manager agreed to the request and stated that if the city did not have enough Transgender Flags, that it would get some for the occasion.
The Rainbow flag was installed on June 27, 2012, when the colors were painted over the brick crosswalk which garnered the name the Rainbow Brick Road by some local residents.
The permanent Rainbow Crosswalk we see today did not get installed until November 1, 2012 for the south crosswalk and November 2nd for the north crosswalk.
A date has not been set for the installation of the new Pride Progress Crosswalk.
The City of West Hollywood remains in a declared local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Coronavirus information is available at www.weho.org/coronavirus.
Total waste of tax payer money.
After they are done painting it, I’m going to claim a color (and a letter of the alphabet) for my tribe and demand they redo it or else.
Yep. Do it! The “bears” have a color, the “SM” group, and all the gender delineations have their own color.This “color for everyone” just furthers separating people out. All the colors are in the rainbow colors with various mix and match.