A Dallas Church Paints A Rainbow
Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas is responding to a government decree by painting a staircase the colors of the rainbow
Amid a state crackdown on rainbow crosswalks, signs, and other displays showing support and solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community, one Dallas church has opted to paint the town, literally.
On the corner of a busy intersection in Dallas is the Oak Lawn United Methodist Church. The church, which has been on that corner since 1874, is responding to the government decree by painting a staircase the colors of the rainbow, a longtime symbol for the LGBTQ+ community, and the transgender pride flag.
Oak Lawn UMC’s new façade comes after Governor Abbott recently directed the Texas Department of Transportation to dismantle within thirty days displays that show “any and all political ideologies from our streets.” That includes the rainbow crosswalks that many cities established as a show of affirmation for the LGBGQ+ community.
In Houston, demolition crews arrived early in the morning to remove a rainbow crosswalk in the Montrose neighborhood, which was erected in 2017 (and also commemorated a cyclist who was killed). The uproar in that community has been profound, and many residents have taken to chalking or painting a makeshift rainbow crosswalk. Several protesters were arrested when the demolition crews came through.
Up in Dallas, community and city leaders, including city council member Chad West, have been pushing back on Abbott’s directive to remove a rainbow crosswalk in Oak Lawn. West spoke about the threat of the crosswalk removal at a No Kings rally on October 14. He urged the crowd to contact other council members and state legislators to fight to save the crosswalk.
While the neighborhood waits to see what happens with the Oak Lawn rainbow crosswalk, Oak Lawn UMC made the call to go ahead and begin their own colorful display. Crews arrived earlier this week and began the process of applying paint on the steps.
Texas Signal spoke with Reverend Rachel Griffin-Allison, the Senior Pastor of Oak Lawn UMC about why they wanted to mount such a striking response to the state directive. “It’s important in this time to make a bold statement and to be a reminder to everyone that they are welcome and they belong here,” said Griffin-Allison.
Faith and community runs deep for Griffin-Allison as a sixth-generation Methodist pastor in Texas. For her, the rainbow staircase represents way more than paint. She calls the steps a “sacred act of resistance.”
“We serve not just the people who come inside these doors, but everybody who is around us in this community and we feel it’s really important at a time like this when our rainbow crosswalks are being painted over or erased, [that] does not mean that the people here are being erased.”
When Oak Lawn UMC is finished painting the steps, they will be inviting muralists to create murals on the landings.
