Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is asking governors in all 50 states to remove rainbow crosswalks that were installed to celebrate Pride, arguing without evidence that drivers get so distracted when they see the rainbow that they crash their cars.In a letter addressed to state governors, the governor of Puerto Rico, and the mayor of Washington, D.C., Duffy states that 39,345 people died on roads in the U.S. in 2024, a 3.8% decrease since 2023, but still unacceptable. The letter discusses the SAFE ROADS initiative for non-freeway roads. Duffy wrote that the initiative stresses recognizable traffic control devices including crosswalk and intersection markings free from distractions. Related Rainbow crosswalk vandalized with Bible verse If the rainbow is a Godly sign, then the people who will vandalize a rainbow crosswalk are vandalizing a sign of God. Sounds like a logical contradiction to me. Making his intent more clear, Duffy told the far-right Daily Signal, Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections, and crosswalks are kept free of distractions, he continued. Far too many Americans die each year to traffic fatalities to take our eye off the ball.He did not specify how many of the 39,345 traffic fatalities in 2024 were due to rainbow crosswalks.Duffy was a Fox News host before he was appointed to lead the Department of Transportation following out former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegs tenure. He was also a Real World reality TV personality earlier in his life.Cities across the country have painted rainbow crosswalks at some intersections, often to recognize Pride Month, even though they stay in place year-round. Conservatives have railed against and vandalized these crosswalks as well. In 2019, the administration told the city of Ames, Iowa, to remove its Pride crosswalks, which were installed at one intersection. A letter sent to the city from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) said that the crosswalks were distracting and have a potential to compromise pedestrian and motorist safety by interfering with, detracting from, or obscuring official traffic control devices.The art can also encourage road users, especially bicycles and pedestrians, to directly participate in the design, loiter in the street, or give reason to not vacate the street in an expedient or predictable manner, the letter claimed, not citing any evidence that people were spending an unnecessary amount of time hanging out in the middle of the crosswalks.The city refused to remove the crosswalks, saying that the administration had no jurisdiction over local roads.Last year, a Republican teen, Dylan Reese Brewer, did burnouts on a rainbow intersection in Delray Beach, Florida. He was ordered to pay $6,000 in damages. The same intersection was vandalized by another 19-year-old, Alexander Jerrich,in July 2021. Like Brewer, Jerrich performed a burnout in his truck which also had a MAGA flag flying from its rear end to deliberately leave black marks on the rainbow street art.A court ordered Jerrich to write a 25-page essay about the 2016 Pulse shooting but declined to pursue a felony criminal mischief charge against Jerrich for fear that it would make it harder for him to find a job. During the trial,Jerrich cried as his father discussed what a disappointment he is. Local LGBTQ+ organizations refused to let Jerrich work with them, even though the judge thought it would help him learn more about the queer community.Jerrich was sentenced to two years probation, 100 hours of community service, and a mental health screening for his crime.Defacement of the memorial to the LGBTQ+ community should be considered a hate crime, said Rand Hoch, the president and founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council,in response to Jerrichs sentencing. However, local State Attorney David Aronberg previously determined that since the intersection is owned by a municipality and not an individual, Floridas hate crime statute does not apply.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.