After months of skipping through the multi-colored rainbow crosswalks of Sydney, Australia, residents this weekend were horrified to learn their celebratory rainbow lane had been covered by a layer of oppressive black bitumen, most likely laid by shadowy, tip-toeing figures in the middle of the night.
The rainbow crosswalk, installed on Sydney’s Oxford Street to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the city’s annual Mardi Gras gay pride festival back in January, cost the city approximately AU$75,000 to install and AU$30,000 to destroy. It’s no coincidence the most expensive sidewalk in the Eastern hemisphere also happened to be extremely gay.
Gay Star News reports that Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore wasn’t aware of the crosswalk’s scheduled demise, though it has most likely been removed due to it’s hazardous status. Duncan Gay, New South Wales Minister for Roads and Ports, claims the colorful road strip became problematic when “people had stopped to photograph themselves on the crossing when traffic was stopped at the lights.” See what you’ve done, tourists? You ruined it for everyone!
In true Aussie fashion, locals have begun painting their own makeshift rainbow ways across the town, sparking a movement on Facebook reaching countries as far as Africa and North America.
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The page, which now has over 15,000 “likes,” encourages fans to paint their own “DIY Rainbow Crossings” and share photos. Here are some of our favorites:
sfbeast
love the pic of the rainbow family. the others are cool as well.
oilburner
A bunch OF overpriveled FAGS w/2 much TIME on THEIR hands SCRIBBLING all OVER the PLACE. how ANNOYING good RIDDANCE
hyhybt
The crosswalk was beautiful, but this… all right. Fancy official crosswalk gets people to spend too much time standing in the street not paying attention to cars. Getting rid of it causes “DIY rainbow crossings,” people spending even more time in the street coloring it themselves. Somewhere this will lead to “crossing the rainbow bridge.”
FStratford
@oilburner:
Screw you. Dont you freaking dare call anyone the F word, you S.O.B. Australia does not have marriage equality yet. Maybe something as fun as this would push the envelope a little bit further.
Plus, its colored chalk. It washes off. Its fun. Its free speech.