Nashville’s first rainbow crosswalk will be painted at the intersection of 14th St and Woodland St at the end of this month, the Metro Nashville LGBTQ Caucus announced on Tuesday.
The permanent crosswalk will be painted by a group of volunteers on June 29 at 9:00 a.m. The Caucus said approximately 100 volunteers will be needed.
https://twitter.com/emilyfor7/status/1803201025115127884
The crosswalk was approved after a collaboration between the Metro Nashville LGBTQ Caucus, the Nashville Department of Transportation, Metro Nashville Councilmember Clay Capp, and Nashville Pride.
The crosswalk was deliberately planned to be placed near the lesbian-owned LGBTQ bar, The Lipstick Lounge, in East Nashville.
“This has been on many people’s minds for a long time. We’ve been working on it as a Caucus over the past few months and are thrilled to bring it to fruition,” Metro Nashville Council LGBTQ Caucus Chair and District 7 Council Member Emily Benedict said at a press conference.
“It is historic for our city in one of our most historic locations, outside one of the most iconic lesbian-owned establishments in the country,” Benedict added.
At-Large Council Member Olivia Hill, a biological male who identifies as a transgender female, was among those who applauded the crosswalk’s approval.
The LGBT caucus has been working hard with NDOT to have our first Rainbow Crosswalk in Nashville. It has been approved!!! If you would like to be involved in the painting of the crosswalk, please be at the the corner of
14th St/Woodland St at 9:00 am 29 June 2024 Lipstick… pic.twitter.com/dy96pBY8mK— Olivia Hill (@Oliviahill247) June 19, 2024
In recent years, rainbow crosswalks have been painted in cities across the nation during June to “celebrate” the LGBTQ community.
Nashville’s crosswalk will be painted to “close out Pride Month” in the city, which is set to host a two-day festival this weekend at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
The pride festival will host a parade on Saturday with a float representing a Tennessee group of “furries” called MurfreesFurs, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.
The festival will also host a “YouthZone” during the two-day event to provide “activities” for children who attend. Drag queens will read books to children at 3:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday for “Drag Storytime with Veronika Electronika & Adhara Bull.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Gay Pride Crosswalk” by bambulshakibaei. CC BY 2.0.
