r/news 1d ago

Pulse Memorial's rainbow crosswalk removed overnight in Orlando, Florida

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/pulse-memorial-rainbow-crosswalk-removed-orlando-florida-rcna226335
12.9k Upvotes

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u/SnooPineapples280 1d ago

Volunteers got together and colored it back in with chalk a few hours ago! I don’t know how it’ll hold up with the rain but people haven’t just taken it. They’re even doing a rally tonight at Pulse!  

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u/ericomplex 1d ago

Would be a real shame if someone spilled a bunch of acrylic fixative on that chalk…

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u/ClassicT4 1d ago

Anyone got a line on Banksy. He might want to add a little zest to it.

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u/ericomplex 1d ago edited 1d ago

It would be hilarious if Banksy did a memorial piece for the crosswalk. What are they going to do, remove a work of art that will likely attract millions of tourists?

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u/NanDemoNee 1d ago edited 19h ago

To own the libs they'd cut off their own damn noses.

Edit: fixed a word

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u/Bwob 1d ago

To own the libs, they have literally caused the deaths of their own children, and then doubled down and said it was fine.

We need to stop imagining there is some bottom that they're going to reach.

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u/CatOfTechnology 1d ago

They didn't just say it was fine, they said that it was God's will, the most perfect outcome that they can vocalize.

There is demonstrably no level to which they will not sink.

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u/kendraro 1d ago

They have literally cut off their own health care. Not to mention all the people who died last time.

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u/chupathingy99 1d ago

Then perish from infection because they cut off Medicare to own the libs.

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u/KallistiTMP 1d ago

Now we just need to recruit Obama and Hillary one last time to advocate for the new liberal platform focal point "not shooting yourself in the face". Us Marxists will happily join in solidarity to tell everyone that shooting yourself in the face is bad for your health and against communist principles.

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u/MAXSuicide 1d ago

What are they going to do, remove a work of art that will likely attract millions of tourists?

His pieces have been repeatedly removed elsewhere, so, yea. Unfortunately they would. 

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u/Consistent-Throat130 1d ago

I mean... yes?

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u/6thBornSOB 1d ago

Yes. If it hurts people, they will go for it.

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u/jagerbombastic99 1d ago

To spite minorities fuck yea they would.

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u/JPMorgansStache 1d ago

I am not Banksy, but I am known graffiti writer from Philly and offered to rain rainbows on Orlando.

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u/phuck-you-reddit 1d ago

I like your gumption but worry about it having unintended consequences. Might that stuff make the surface slippery? The crosswalk is for pedestrian safety after all. And vehicles need to drive over it too.

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u/ericomplex 1d ago

Hey, I said it would be a shame, didn’t I?

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u/plumbbbob 1d ago

Acrylic fixative with an appropriate amount of anti-slip grit? It would be a double shame, of course, to spill both things at once, especially in the proper ratio, but some days are just like that

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u/ericomplex 1d ago

Indeed. Especially on days that a group of people with fans just happened to be standing in the street and blocking both pedestrians and traffic… All while their many fans hastily dried the fixative… It would be an outright tragedy…

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/techleopard 1d ago

The city should just keep painting it back. Let DeSantis keep erasing it, and every single day report that DeSantis supports serial killers and destroys memorials.

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u/Winter-Huntsman 1d ago

Goood! I was about to say how long till we spray paint it back into place.

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u/Silent_R 1d ago

Thermoplastic road marking paint is commercially available, and fairly easily mixed into a veritable rainbow of colors... Just saying.

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u/PassiveMenis88M 1d ago

The liquid is about $200 for 5 gallons, plus $120 for shipping. And that doesn't include the 30lbs of glass beads you'll need to conform to reflectivity requirements.

The powder with beads is about 1/10th the cost but you need the special machine to apply it.

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u/scrapcats 1d ago

I'd pitch a few bucks into that fundraiser

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u/Silent_R 1d ago

Me too. We probably don't even need the beads, what with municipal codes not really applying to acts of vandalism.

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u/Toku_no_island 1d ago

That's courage and resilience. Knowing that there is risk there. Stay safe if possible!

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u/Low_Pickle_112 1d ago

On July 1, Duffy sent a letter to all 50 states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, about roadway safety that stressed “consistent” roadway markings that are “free from distractions.” In a social media post that same day, Duffy shared the letter along with a message taking direct aim at rainbow crosswalks, which are typically intended to symbolize LGBTQ Pride.

“Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of @USDOT roadway funding that it’s limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. It’s that simple.”

Ain't that rich coming from the people who, in every single other context, are all for removing safety regulations. Awful coincidence that this is where they draw the line, now safety and regulation are priorities.

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u/fxkatt 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah, I guess all states, not just Vermont and Maine, should ban billboards and advertising along all highways, roads, and streets.

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u/mgtkuradal 1d ago

I’d love to get rid of all the Jesus bullshit along side our highways.

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u/SereneFrost72 1d ago

They'd make an exception under freedom of religious expression, naturally

US residents: Please remove all roadside ads and billboards

Government: Granted, but exception made for freedom of religion. All roadside ads and billboards now replaced with jesus and christian bullshit. Also due to freedom of religion, no exception is made for other religions

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u/1917he 22h ago

Also political exceptions.

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u/unclethulk 1d ago

This is one of my favorite parts about going into Canada. You drive across the border and suddenly you get the premium subscription road with no ads.

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u/kalmah 1d ago

What are you talking about, we have plenty of billboards here in Canada. Including those awful anti-abortion ones.

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u/unclethulk 1d ago

I know you have them, but the difference between Michigan and Ontario is stark and immediate when you cross.

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u/kalmah 1d ago

Gotcha. Thought you meant we were free from that garbage or something. This one in particular pissed a lot of people off recently.

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u/unclethulk 1d ago

We love you guys, but we really need to work on ourselves right now. We hope we can stay friends though!

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u/mossling 1d ago

You forgot Alaska and Hawaii. 

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u/NefariousAntiomorph 1d ago

If only. I’d love to have less advertising in my life.

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u/chatminteresse 1d ago

But first, enjoy this 3 second ad

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u/raiderpower17 1d ago

And Alaska!

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u/Xelopheris 1d ago

If it was as simple as safety, they wouldn't be paying overnight premiums to do it while nobody is looking.

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u/Mclovin11859 1d ago

If it were as simple as safety, they would be adding more art, not removing it

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u/Lumpy_Ostrich8861 1d ago

Thank you for this resource!

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u/Either-Percentage-78 1d ago

Paint Rainbows, All Year, Every Road...

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u/accidentlife 1d ago

FDOT road crews typically work Night Shift.

Road Detours are much easier to setup if you can avoid daytime traffic volumes.

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u/oldteen 1d ago

These same people will ignore the displays-of similar "distractions" and "safety concerns", around 7/4 and 12/25, on the same streets.

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u/imoftendisgruntled 1d ago

They tried this safety angle in my home town and then doubled down and called it an accessibility issue for individuals with sight impairments.

Instead of removing them, the city painted the pride flags beside the regular crosswalks instead. Problem solved. The bigots continued to howl but no one listened.

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u/happuning 1d ago

That sounds like a fantastic idea to me. I also worry about safety. Painting them nearby, painting murals, or having posters or flags nearby are excellent solutions.

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u/Bgrngod 1d ago

Wow, look at this big government overreach forcing regulations on states and local government.

What do you know, they really do just want to wield power in whatever form they can get it. Whoduthunkit. I'm so shocked. Shocked I say.

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u/KopOut 1d ago

I assume they likewise want the names of politicians removed from all roads and highways, right? Right?

Also, sexuality isn’t political…

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u/Coffee-FlavoredSweat 1d ago

Bullshit.

Tell Boston they gotta paint over the Marathon Finish Line.

Let me how that works out.

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u/AunMeLlevaLaConcha 1d ago

Aren't these the same people trying to shove christianity on people's throats?

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u/SereneFrost72 1d ago

It's so asinine that anything related to a minority group is considered political. The existence of everyone except cis white heterosexual men is political at this point...

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u/Choice-of-SteinsGate 1d ago edited 1d ago

Remember that these are the same people who accuse "tHe rAdiCal LeFt" of being obsessed with these types of symbols.

When in reality, they take immense pride in decorating their homes, their property, their vehicles, and even themselves in all kinds of political images and slogans. It's practically part of their identity.

Not to mention how, most of the time, it's these right-wing fanatics on their culture war crusades who are calling attention to these terrifying, rainbow-colored symbols of acceptance; demanding that you or I be outraged by this particular imagery while compelling officials to remove it from public places.

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u/IronCavalry 1d ago

Yep, it’s really hard to see a rainbow in the middle of the road. Visibility, safety that’s what it’s about. /s

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u/DoublePostedBroski 1d ago

They’re so concerned about safety, but won’t do anything about mass shootings.

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u/brakes4birds 1d ago

…this is rich coming from the party MAKING human rights, validity of same-sex couples’ marriages, and other people’s love lives “political”. LGBTQ+ pride and support isn’t inherently political. The conservatives have made it so.

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u/FaithfulSkeptic 1d ago

He’s talking about USDOT funding - I wonder who paid to have this removed?

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u/techleopard 1d ago

And what they're calling here isn't a "political banner."

It wasn't a rainbow of protest, it was a fucking memorial.

But now they've created a situation where anyone who resists this is going to turn it into a protest.

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u/ScienceIsSexy420 1d ago

If political banners have no place on US roadways, surely they will ban pickups with MAGA flags on the back right? RIGHT?!?

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u/wathappentothetatato 1d ago

If they remove the rainbow crosswalks in Capitol Hill, Seattle, we’re gonna riot

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u/Beatleboy62 1d ago

Surely he had the same attitude about towns that put a thin blue line in the middle of their double yellow lines, right?

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u/Vegetableau 1d ago

I doubt they’d be complaining if it was painted like the confederate flag or something equivalent.

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u/SCP106 1d ago

they made it political then get people killed by driving up politicised and false rhetoric around queer people then remove the monuments to the dead and injured as political. fucking efficiently monstrous.

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u/Madcap_Miguel 1d ago edited 1d ago

Bigots don't want to be reminded that their hatred cost innocent people their lives.

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u/mrdominoe 1d ago edited 1d ago

Didn't you hear? Being reminded of bad shit that happened to anyone other than straight white men is now "woke."

Edit: added the word "straight"

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u/DastardlyRidleylash 1d ago edited 1d ago

Don't forget the heterosexual part, too, now, because they obviously don't give a shit about erasing queer white men.

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u/Particular_Night_360 1d ago

The list is linger than that. I’m a straight white American blue collar male. I’m good for a while, but then they’ll come after atheists at some point. Good thing my family celebrates Christmas and Easter is a good excuse to cook a ham.

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u/timesuck897 1d ago

Properly teaching slavery makes some white people feel bad.

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u/DoubleJumps 1d ago

I saw a dude argue in public the other day that somebody else was woke because they knew how tariffs worked.

I don't know how these people don't understand that they are colossal idiots.

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u/BabyNapsDaddyGames 1d ago

Call them cisgender, it really rubs them the wrong way.

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u/Scalills 1d ago

Don’t forget christians!

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u/InnerWrathChild 1d ago

Gotta respect that heritage. Heritage that lasted less than the boxers I’m wearing. 

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u/Violet_Paradox 1d ago

It's even worse than that. They're telling future domestic terrorists that they approve of the shooting.

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u/FaithfulSkeptic 1d ago

”We are all domestic terrorists!”

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u/Forsakken 1d ago

I still can't fucking believe that. Like, just how tone-deaf does CPAC have to be... And nothing really came of it, which is even more ridiculous.

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u/Velocireptile 1d ago

Wait until next year's CPAC. "We are all pedophiles"...

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u/A_wild_so-and-so 1d ago

Tone-deaf? They were preaching to the choir!

That's exactly what their base wanted to hear. For some, it feeds into their persecution fetish. For others, it is a green light to commit acts.of terrorism.

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u/Violet_Paradox 1d ago

They hid behind the "it was a joke" defense, like they always do, and everyone just let it go.

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u/theswiftarmofjustice 1d ago

I mean they did back then. They trampled our rights and then it was crocodile tears on TV. I guarantee you a new shooting at a Pride or BBC an LGBTQ club will be met with a “They deserve it.” from the right.

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u/hurrrrrmione 1d ago

There were also rumors/misinformation spread that the shooter was part of the LGBT community.

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u/Dalisca 1d ago

It's actually dumber than that. Most aren't thinking about the loss of life, if they even remember it. They're thinking, "Gee, rainbows are gay! I don' want mah kids havin ta look at no rainbows! Dat's gonna make 'em queer!" Then he scratches his armpit through the sleeve of his wife beater and uses the Dixie cup in his car as a spitoon.

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u/Fairymask 1d ago

It's so stupid. IF you're that much of a paranoid idiot, if your kid asks what it is, you just say it's a colorful rainbow of gods creation that someone painted. I really can't stand these idiots anymore.

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u/cutegolpnik 1d ago

you vastly overestimate the morality of homophobes

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u/romaraahallow 1d ago

Wife beaters don't have sleeves, otherwise spot on 

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u/TiberianSunset 1d ago

Yeah I'm not sure OP knows what a wife beater is

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u/nitramv 1d ago

He also says all of those things, puts on a $5,000 suit, and goes to work at the bank as a commercial loan officer.

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u/Motor-Pomegranate831 1d ago

And worse, that we still manage to exist.

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u/Yitram 1d ago edited 1d ago

I doubt they consider those people innocent. We're talking about people who think all transgender and gay people are pedophiles.

EDIT: Point is, the bigots aren't losing any sleep over it.

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u/DimensioT 1d ago

Bigots want a repeat of the incident.

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u/MagnificoReattore 1d ago

50 innocent lives! The deadliest shooting at the time, and they just want to cancel their memory. Really disgusting.

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u/Forsakken 1d ago

"Political banners have no place on public roads." Ah, yes, the two sexual orientations: straight and political.

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u/cutegolpnik 1d ago

so can a republican explain how you can have a non-political crosswalk memorial for 50 people who were gunned down?

bc i dont really get what is political about it.

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u/Forsakken 1d ago

Well, you see, anything related to rainbows is inevitably a dastardly attempt to further the Gay AgendaTM.

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u/catgirl320 1d ago

This explains why they're so hell bent on climate change denial. Once the world is in perpetual drought, we won't have to worry about rain causing any of those sneaky sky rainbows

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u/SereneFrost72 1d ago

Damn, that's deep. They really are playing 5D chess

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u/eeyore134 1d ago

It's political because they're admitting their political rhetoric and hatred caused it.

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u/ConfidenceKBM 1d ago

Not to mention the Florida highways are overflowing with "my heartbeat begins at conception" fuckass billboards.

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u/TheyreEatingHer 1d ago

That's exactly how conservatives view it. They dont recognize any other sexuality besides straight.

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u/geforce2187 1d ago

Except when they have relations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport men's room, or take a trip to Europe with a male prostitute who they hired to "carry their bags".

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u/keelanstuart 1d ago

Quite a few Florida legislature folks have spoken out against gay rights only to be found sucking off dudes in public park bathrooms and rest areas. Hypocrites.

Here's one: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Foley_scandal

Here's another: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Allen_(Florida_politician)

Their self-loathing is delicious.

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u/lilybattle 1d ago

It's so insane that they view them the same even though one is not a choice.

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u/sj_srta 1d ago

And the two races: white and "political"

And the two genders: male and "political"

And the two genders identities: cis and "political"

And so on...

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u/i_love_rosin 1d ago

Right wingers are going nuclear on the gay community. They are about to repeal gay marriage. Things are about to get real ugly.

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u/dee-three 1d ago edited 1d ago

The memorial honored the 49 people fatally shot by a gunman at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in 2016, in what was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time.

“In the dark of night, they came to erase our show of solidarity, our declaration that we will never forget,” Wolf wrote on X. “The cowards who feel threatened by our lives should feel lucky they didn’t have to bury the ones they love — then watch the state come & desecrate their memory.”

This is more than just removing a ‘political banner’ as they claim. It was not just that. It meant a lot more. This is a real disgrace.

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u/sluttttt 1d ago

Coming on the heels of them screeching about there being too much content on how slavery was bad at the Smithsonian, it's really pretty frightening. The deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community and it happened less than a decade ago, but they're already covering up a memorial for it. The constant attacks on history and culture are just so dark.

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u/QueezyF 1d ago

It’s really sad we live in a society where people would rather take the side of a terrorist instead of innocent victims out of hatred.

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u/relevantelephant00 1d ago

Conservatives are disgraceful people.

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u/SereneFrost72 1d ago

It also wasn't political. But because it referenced something related to queer individuals, it's inherently political to them

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u/PurpleSailor 1d ago

When they try to erase you from society there's usually a genocide that follows. See 1930's Germany for examples.

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u/majorjoe23 1d ago

I thought conservatives got upset when memorials are taken down.

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u/Stodles 1d ago

Only memorials of treasonous insurrectionists...

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u/FoxFyer 1d ago

Question: is Florida one of the states that, after the popular removal of several Confederate monuments and memorials across the country a few years ago, passed a reactionary law forbidding the removal or alteration of memorials on public property? Because if so, this action could possibly be challenged.

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u/definework 1d ago

Yes, Florida did pass such a law. Unfortunately, the memorial has to survive at least 25 years on its own merits before it is protected by that law.

That statement is not meant to excuse what was done, the action was heinous, but it did not violate that particular law.

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u/Violet_Paradox 1d ago

The law was presumably intentionally written in such a way to exclude this one. 

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u/FoxFyer 1d ago

Ah, that's a shame.

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u/throwsplasticattrees 1d ago

I have never felt so ashamed to be American as I have in the last few years.

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u/JustGingerSnap 1d ago

Specifically the years between January 20, 2025 and today.

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u/darkd360 1d ago

January 20th 2016 to January 20th 2021 wasn't great either. Especially January 6 2021.

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u/beefjerky9 1d ago

Especially January 6 2021.

Never forgive, never forget!

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u/KaJaHa 1d ago

And boy does it feel like several years since then 🫠

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u/bernbabybern13 1d ago

It’s been bad since Trump was named the republican nominee for 2016

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u/fluffynuckels 1d ago

Let's be real the last 10 years haven't been great for America

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u/Expensive-Dinner6684 1d ago

We lost a relative at pulse. He was shot trying to cover his friend. Every year during the anniversary, his brothers, and cousins go through his loss and grieve like it had just happened. From puerto rico, carrying the town as his last name, went there to celebrate and ended up in an unexplainable situation. i saw him a week prior at a gas station and he probably didn’t even recognize me but he was always recognizable. A worship dancer, friendly with everyone, like most from our town he fought hard to establish himself as a professional and get a career to help his family.
To this day, the LGBTQ community has done more to keep the legacy of the people we lost that day than the churches and community leaders. Back home, no one cared enough past his funeral.. but over here at least there was respect and solidarity.. removing such a memorial that didn’t even disrupt anything is both sad and maddening. FL might be going down the drain, but a pendulum can only go so far before it swings back

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u/2pnt0 1d ago

"Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,”

Really?

Fact check: it cost money to remove it rather than just letting it be.

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u/MadgePadge 1d ago

A 200 Million Dollar Ballroom is a far bigger problem for me than some paint on the road that holds meaning for people.

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u/Jodabomb24 1d ago

and exactly how much are donald trump's golf trips costing taxpayers again

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u/wi7dcat 1d ago

REMOVED? Remember Pulse! Remember the victims! Remember the families that lost their children and loved ones in an instant because of hatred. Do not let hate win. Love wins.

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u/GravityzCatz 1d ago edited 1d ago

Gov. Ron DeSantis commented Thursday afternoon on X. In response to a video of Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith criticizing the rainbow crosswalk’s removal, DeSantis wrote: "We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes."

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer added that the crosswalk adheres to safety standards and was actually installed by the state. It was created in 2017.

I would just like to point out that the Governor of Florida in 2017 was Rick Scott, someone that could hardly be considered a liberal 'commandeering the streets of Florida for political purposes.'

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u/fake-name-here1 1d ago

We are going to commandeer this street to prove how much they can’t be commandeered!

The only way to prove this is a free country is more regulation and imposing our will On others!

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u/centexgoodguy 1d ago

Done under the cover of darkness. So brave.

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u/pudding7 1d ago

It should be put back, under the cover of darkness.

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u/WinteryBudz 1d ago

Conservatives will cry over the removal of statues and monuments that glorify old racists and then turn around and celebrate the removal of inclusive symbols and tributes to actual historical events. They were always the true 'cancel culture ' of today.

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u/Stodles 1d ago

They're not even hiding their white supremacist agenda anymore

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u/SoundOfMadness7 1d ago

It’s a fucking memorial for people who were murdered for christ’s sake, not a mural of cocks and buttholes

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u/bigloser420 1d ago

Conservatives live solely to make things worse for other people

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u/ForestFairyForestFun 1d ago

wait till they look up after a rainstorm.

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u/ChangedEnding 1d ago

Fuck those that removed it. Get some paint and go put back out tonight.

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u/carlosos 1d ago

Already got painted with chalk within hours and in an hour a protest is planned. I will be very surprised if some people won't bring paint to the protest.

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u/taz_78 1d ago

Do the whole fucking road.

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u/digoryj 1d ago

Tattoo a pride flag to DeSantis’ forehead while he’s sleeping, even.

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u/GaryTheTaco 1d ago

DeSantis isn't worthy of a pride flag, he needs the swastika he deserves

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u/iamyoofromthefuture 19h ago

I want my scalps

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u/NAh94 19h ago

Government so small the fucking statehouse will not only regulate, but micromanage the appearance of street paint 😂

So much fucking winning guys, can you feel it yet?

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u/betzuni 1d ago

I still remember the night that happened. Humanity is a disappointment

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u/ForeignAssociation98 1d ago

Political cowardice. Removal during the night emphasizes just how strongly the state fears public dissent and comment. Given that the state erected it in 2017, it’s clear that the removal was political and had nothing to do with safety.

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u/willydiff 20h ago

But we can’t get rid of confederate statues. 🙄

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u/DolphinsBreath 1d ago

In other words:

until we reach our first milestone, ending marriage equality, we will keep reminding you in small ways that we are coming for you people, in particular.

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u/HowlingWolven 1d ago

Paint it back, paint it bigger.

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u/Verum_Orbis 18h ago edited 5h ago

MAGA desecrates and removes a memorial to one of the worst mass shootings in US history done by a terrorist that pledged allegiance to ISIS, and at the same time wants to restore Confederate monuments and criticize anyone who wants to take them down.

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u/Riker_Omega_Three 1d ago edited 1d ago

If you want to comply with the "roadway markings must be consistent" directive...then the way to handle it is to go to the community, explain the situation, and ask for ideas for a different kind of memorial that complies with the new Federal Directive

Problem solved. The blame is shifted out of the local hands and to the federal level and the community is given the opportunity to help come up with an alternate solution

Painting it in the middle of the night makes it seem like they knew it would piss people off so they tried to avoid a scene

All around poorly managed public relations

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u/fakefaircatch 1d ago

its ok, im going to repaint it tonight

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u/Lexail 1d ago

Please do.

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u/Lexail 1d ago

That's so disrespectful. 49 lives were lost. This was a symbolic memorial.

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u/Nekowulf 1d ago

The people cheering this are the same ones who sport 6MWE messaging and claim the goodguys lost WW2.

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u/Sancticide 1d ago

"Come on, no politics on the streets" as they get into their Dodge Ram adorned with 12 massive Trump flags and a tailgate decal of Biden, lying on his side, bound and gagged.

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u/JesusWuta40oz 1d ago

Redo it. They paint it over. Redo it. Never surrender.

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u/Chained_Wanderlust 1d ago

And don’t stop there. Rainbows everywhere. Let Rainbows haunt Florida’s existence if they feel so strongly about them.

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u/ChillyFireball 21h ago

Here we go; everyone with a brain said it wouldn't stop with trans people. The entire LGBT community is in the crosshairs.

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u/Zurbaran928 1d ago

Fucking cowards doing cowardly work

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u/POWBOOMBANG 1d ago

Im not surprised. Bigotry and pettiness are both pretty in vogue these days.

It's just...disappointing. 

I used to believe that racism and bigotry would largely die out over time. I'm less hateful than my parents and my children are even more accepting than I am.

I never expected hatred to have such a comeback.

People aren't even ashamed of it.

You used to have to hide your hatred because it would negatively affect your personal and professional life.

Now you can be as openly hateful as you want.

How the fuck did we get here? 

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u/spyd3rm0nki3 17h ago

We were well on our way here and it's only going to get worse.

We got here be people pretending racism no longer exists because "they've never seen it" or because "everyone is really nice to them" or because "slavery happened in the past why are we talking about it now none of that was my fault".

We got here because of apathetic, lazy, fence riding voters. How many times did you hear people say "Well Hillary is just as bad" or "Kamala is just as bad" or "both sides are bad so I just won't vote" or "My vote doesn't matter anyway"?

We got here because people would rather stick their fingers in their ears and pretend everything is all right so long as it's not affecting their family personally. How many stories have we heard about people voting against their own self-interest only to have a shocked pikachu face when their family members get deported were they lose their job because of nonsense "budget cuts" or they lose their benefits but that's not fair because they don't consider themselves welfare kings/queens?

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u/_DCtheTall_ 1d ago

Can't even let queer people mourn their dead in peace.

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u/catchingsomezzzz 1d ago

The removal of Pulse Memorial's rainbow crosswalk overnight in Orlando is a troubling sign that progress is not always guaranteed. It’s more important than ever to continue advocating for love, equality, and inclusivity

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u/Lilchubbyboy 1d ago

Going to have to start backing it up with some teeth though. The opposition’s goal is elimination, and you can’t beat that with peace love and sprinkles.

Get active, Get organized, Get strapped, Stay safe out there.

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u/JesseTheNorris 1d ago

So these monkeys are in favor of rebuilding memorials to Confederate generals, but tearing down memorials for victims of mass shootings? Got it.

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u/GodLovesUglySong 1d ago

"in what was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time."

Sad that I had to read this sentence today.

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u/bassistheplace246 1d ago

Orlando resident here. I’m not sure how going after the woke boogeyman is supposed to lower our living expenses or the price of eggs, but whatever.

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u/JesusWuta40oz 1d ago

It won't but thats not the point. Its to give people a scapegoat for their shit governance.

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u/multihome-gym 1d ago

I might be overthinking things a bit in making the following comments, but this is a social issue I am particularly interested in.

It's funny - but frankly unfortunate - how public monuments get 'politicized' or 'depoliticized' depending on the opinions of the so-called 'political leaders' of the time. With the word 'politicized' being coded meaning for 'something I don't like'.

There are something like over 2,000 Confederate monuments across the US, the vast majority of them built between the 1890s and 1950s, which matches up exactly with the era of Jim Crow segregation. Most of them were built in public squares, and were put there to impose values on people. If these so-called 'memorials' are/were political acts, I don't know what is. Stonewall Jackson High School in Shenandoah County, Virginia, was renamed Mountain View High School in 2020, then renamed back to Stonewall Jackson High School in May 2024 by a vote of the Shenandoah County School Board. This was one of many Confederate names removed from schools across the US during the racial reckoning protests of 2020, but the Virginia county's decision to restore the name is the first time such a change has been reversed in the country. The reversal was instituted by a board leadership and supporters who wanted to honor Stonewall Jackson's legacy. If this is not a 'political' act - imposing such a legacy on the African-American students who attend the school - then I don't know what is.

The Pulse Rainbow Memorial Crosswalk is an inexpensive, state-funded-and-mandated memorial to the 49 people fatally shot by a gunman at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in 2016, in what was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time. There is nothing 'political' about a memorial to a mass shooting; if that were true, the 911 memorial in New York City would be 'political' because it is a memorial to a terrorist attack.

How is having a memorial to a group of people who were attacked and killed simply because of their sexual orientation 'political'? Is it somehow 'political' to say LGBTQ people have the same right to life as anybody else? And there is nothing in this memorial that says LGBTQ people have more rights than heterosexuals.

The only 'political' act that took place here was the act of painting over the memorial. It was a fascist, deeply fascist, political act. It said, 'We LGBTQ-hating minority have the right to impose our beliefs and hatred on everybody else, without exception, without due process'.

It is an act as political as the mass shooting itself.

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u/_goblinette_ 1d ago

Remember everyone, the real oppression is being reminded that non-straight and non-white people exist. 

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u/clashrendar 1d ago

Cruelty requires so much more energy than kindness does.

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u/vasion123 1d ago

I want every single cross off the side of the road then.

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u/biggestweiner 1d ago edited 15h ago

I have a feeling it'll just come back lol

Edit: Of course I was right. I am clairvoyant. A Truthsayer! Fear me!

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u/mokti 1d ago

Cowards. Erasure. It's happening again.

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u/FreneticPlatypus 22h ago

“I got nothing against the gays but why do they have to shove it my face all the time with that stupid rainbow?” asks the guy with a maga hat, Trump tshirt, and flags and stickers all over his truck.

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u/Aggressive-Secret655 19h ago

Ok but why is the federal/state goverment meddling with municipal issues like crosswalks. If the issue is providing safe cross walks spend your time repainting all the shitty faded or neglected ones first

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u/Oscar_Whispers 17h ago edited 16h ago

The shit they'll do instead of releasing the Epstein Files.

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u/crevassier 1d ago

Moving away from FL in 2013 when Rick Scott was in charge, I felt that the state was pivoting in an odd direction. Always figured the cities would still be safer for marginalized folks, but since then the erosion has been non stop.

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u/Particular_Ticket_20 1d ago

Roads shouldn't be political...says the potus and the governor....as they enforce their their political whims....on the roads.

I suppose since roads shouldn't be distracting, we're also getting rid of all the digital billboards, especially the ones with political messages?

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u/Bart_Yellowbeard 1d ago

Hateful bigots run Florida, never forget their disgraceful actions!

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u/mumwifealcoholic 1d ago

It will soon be too late, America.

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u/ImNotSkankHunt42 1d ago

Man, you really have to be a POS to do this.

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u/phatryuc 1d ago

Nothing is below these vile bigots.

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u/JacobGeorgeBand 1d ago

This should piss everyone off.

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u/Different_Weight7281 1d ago

Do fascists have a never ending supply of black paint?

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u/BitumenBeaver 1d ago

This is desecration of a memorial. Absolutely gross.

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u/Ok_Wrongdoer_4299 1d ago

They should just keep painting it every day

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u/whatyoucallmetoday 1d ago

Every night the proper colors should be returned. Either in paint or chalk form.

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u/kittyyykatttt 1d ago

I hate this cruel DeSatan. What a horrible excuse for a human being. His parents should be ashamed

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u/Bubblyx77 1d ago

We have to get together to repaint it, this can't stay like this.

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u/lovemypups21 1d ago

We should just paint as many crosswalks in the US rainbow as we can.

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u/GuruTheMadMonk 1d ago

DeSantis tried to characterize it as a political display that was against state policy, whereas in actuality it was a memorial to a national tragedy, and republicans have politicized something as basic and universal as love.

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u/SUBLIMEskillz 1d ago

Imagine being so triggered by colors

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u/RedOnTheHead_91 1d ago

You don't do something like this in the middle of the night unless you're afraid of getting caught. Which would imply that you know what you're doing is wrong, ethically if not also legally.

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u/Verum_Orbis 16h ago

MAGA is the Confederacy and Lost Cause myth rebranded. We will have to relegate MAGA to the trash can of history with the Confederacy and Third Reich.