Same-Sex Couples Simply Glow in Munich's Gay-Themed Traffic Lights

As Munich pride-goers enjoy festivities this weekend, a celebration of all kinds of love will surround them -- even blinking back from their traffic and crosswalk signals.

Dozens of red and green lights depicting same-sex and opposite-sex couples holding hands as they stand or cross the street together now adorn the city's intersections, installed earlier this week in preparation for the city's Christopher Street Day (Gay Pride Day) on July 11, reports German newspaper The Local.

Clearly happy to be together, many of the stick-figures have hearts floating above their heads or outlined on their chests; one pair of male stick-figures holds their arms around each other's shoulders.

The adorable intiative originated in Vienna in May to welcome several LGBT-friendly events, including the Lifeball and Eurovision. A physical symbol of the city's "open mind" according to the Vienna signal lighting department, the loving couples were also said to improve traffic safety by catching the attention of drivers and pedestrians.

While reactions to the signals in both Vienna and Munich appear largely neutral or positive -- with Vienna councilwoman Maria Vassilakou even declaring that they'd reached "cult status" -- not everyone is pleased. The Local reports that members of Munich's right-wing Christian Social Union tried to squash the project when Green Party politicians intoduced it originally at a city council meeting.

In May, Vienna's Freedom Party launched an unsuccessful criminal complaint against Vassilakou, who was in charge of the city's traffic signal lights. The opposition claimed that Vassilakou was wasting state funds on the $70,000 dollar project, but the signals remained standing, according to the Associated Press.

Munich's signal lights will continue celebrating love throughout the weekend, after which the panes will be removed and replaced with the traditional single male stick figure. But it's likely they'll appear again in Germany, notes The Local: Hamburg announced intentions to host the signal lights in May 2016.