West Hollywood Makes Rainbow Crosswalks Permanent

In West Hollywood, the gay center of greater Los Angeles, a decoration meant to celebrate Pride month will now become a permanent fixture, West Hollywood Patch reports.

The West Hollywood City Council initially approved rainbow-colored crosswalks in the LGBT-friendly area for Pride month in June. But the crosswalks have become so popular among residents and tourists, the council voted Monday to make them permanent.

The crosswalks extend across San Vicente Boulevard at Santa Monica Boulevard in the Boystown area. Because the paint originally used to create the rainbows was not intended to be durable, the city will have the crosswalks regraded and apply thermoplastic pavement markings to the crosswalks to make them slip-resistant, less likely to fade, and easier to clean.

According to Patch, the cost to upgrade the crosswalks is $67,364, while the cost to temporarily paint the crosswalks was around $13,000.

"[The crosswalks] are critical to the tourists and young gay and lesbian people and not-so-young gay and lesbian people who are passing through from Iowa or Montana or Kansas," said council member John Duran. "They cannot believe that they actually see a municipality where the rainbow colors are on display all year long. It tells them it is a sanctuary. It tells them there is a safe place in America where the LGBT community is celebrated."