SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — On Saturday evening, members of Sarasota’s LGBTQ+ community, along with their supporters, convened downtown. The gathering aimed to show empathy, unity, and presence against what they perceive as efforts across the state to diminish their visibility.

Community non-profit organization Project Pride SRQ, hosted “Compassion at the Crosswalk” Saturday evening.

The gathering idea emerged after the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) instructed cities to eliminate all street art not aligned with federal traffic guidelines. While FDOT mentioned safety concerns, local activists argue there are more profound implications behind the decision.

Tom Edwards, Project Pride’s Executive Director, expressed that the decision was particularly painful following the removal of rainbow crosswalks near Orlando’s Pulse nightclub — the tragic site of a 2016 mass shooting that claimed 49 lives.

Edwards reflected on the significance of their community’s gathering, not only for sharing their local grievances in Sarasota but also for the heartbreaking removal of the crosswalk in front of Pulse nightclub.

Edwards called that crosswalk a memorial to the victims and said removing it reopened old wounds.

He emphasized that the removed crosswalk served as a memorial for the shooting victims. “49 families had to relive their grief and trauma,” he noted.

Alice Rothbauer, vice chair of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, acknowledged the importance of remembering those lost but stated that public resources should be used in a balanced manner.

“We grieve for the loss of life, however it happens,” Rothbauer said. “But when we put state resources that effectively give one group preference over another, it creates divide.”

Rothbauer also defended FDOT’s focus on consistency and safety.

“Have you been through the roundabouts in Sarasota? Confusion is everywhere,” she said. “And so uniformity — every color means something — creates greater public safety.”

Edwards said the debate over street art reflects a larger struggle across Florida and the nation.

“What we’ve seen is every small special interest group — veterans, the Hispanic community, the Black community, women’s rights — all of those individual silos have been fighting for their own rights,” he said. “It’s time for us to band together and have each other’s backs and get the government we deserve.”

Rothbauer said that Saturday’s gathering itself demonstrated that visibility and free expression still exist in Sarasota.

Attendees at “Compassion at the Crosswalk” said they hoped the conversation would continue toward a broader sense of inclusion and understanding.