Rainbow | The Adobo Chronicles

The winning crosswalk design for 18th and Castro streets

San Francisco, California – There will be plenty of rainbows at the intersection of 18th and Castro streets in the heart of San Francisco’s gay neighborhood, reports the Bay Area Reporter.

On Thursday, March 13, District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener announced the winning design and location for rainbow crosswalks that will be paid for by the Castro Upper Market Community Benefit District. The crosswalks are being incorporated with a sidewalk widening project that will begin construction this month.

Upon hearing of the news, the Westboro Baptist Church sent a proposal to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to repaint the crosswalk at the intersection of Market and Castro Streets. The Topeka, Kansas-based church headed by Fred Phelps offered to fully fund the crosswalk makeover “in the spirit of equality.” “If the City of San Francisco allowed the re-painting of the crosswalk at 18th and Castro streets, then there is no compelling reason for it to deny our offer, especially because we are paying for it,” Phelps said.

The Westboro Baptist Church is known for its anti-gay agenda, traveling the country to picket parades, festivals and even funerals with signs like “God Hates Fags” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.”

Crosswalk design proposed by Westboro Baptist Church

The Board of Supes has not yet met to consider the church’s offer, but circulated the proposed crosswalk design to its members and the media. The design is in stark contrast to the rainbow design, featuring black and white crosses painted next to each other.

San Francisco, California – First, it painted its bike lanes in green, then its MUNI train tracks in red. Now, the City and County of San Francisco has entered into a multi-million contract with Sherwin-Williams, the third largest paint company in the world, for a total make-over of its thousands of pedestrian lanes. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the County Board of Supervisors have jointly approved the project which is expected to start in September with a completion date slated sometime in January of next year. The painting project will be implemented in several phases, starting with the entire stretch of Market Street – from Castro to the Embarcadero. Lee and the gay members of the board of supervisors will participate in a ceremonial painting of the first crosswalk on Market and Castro Streets at 9am on September 1st.

Unlike the boring, single color paint used for the bike lanes and MUNI train tracks, the new pedestrian lanes will be painted in a succession of the rainbow colors: ROYGBV ROYGBIV ROYGBIV and so on.

While admitting that the cost of the project will be a burden to the city’s coffers, the mayor and supervisors assured the public that the return on investment will be three-fold. It will also seal San Francisco’s reputation as the “Gayest City in the World.”