Salisbury's Rainbow Crosswalk Removed Amid Controversy Over Mayor's "Course Correction"

The removal of Salisbury's rainbow crosswalk continues a contentious chapter in the Maryland city's relationship with its LGBTQ+ community. On Monday, November 10, 2025, city crews began milling the downtown street adjacent to the Wicomico County Public Library, ultimately paving over the colorful crosswalk by November 11.

The crosswalk, installed in 2018 and repainted annually by volunteers, had become a recognizable symbol of Salisbury's commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion. Former City Council Member Megan Outten described the crosswalk as "a historic moment, honestly, for the whole state," noting that visitors traveled to Salisbury specifically to witness it.

Mayor Randy Taylor justified the removal as part of a necessary "course correction" aligned with Department of Transportation standards and federal guidelines. In a statement released November 7, 2025, Taylor wrote that the crosswalk removal was necessary to comply with current road marking standards and maintain "neutrality in public spaces." He emphasized that the decision stemmed from his responsibility as mayor to follow established regulations, stating: "It's got nothing to do with how I feel about the LGBT community – it's got to do with me doing my job as the mayor of Salisbury."

Taylor also cited guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which called on governors to remove rainbow crosswalks classified as "political art" from roadways due to safety concerns and standardized marking requirements.

Prior to the removal, Taylor had proposed replacing the rainbow crosswalk with a rotating art program featuring community submissions. However, the initiative failed to gain traction. Taylor stated that submissions were either unacceptable or contained messaging similar to the original crosswalk, and he expressed that the community did not take the initiative "that seriously."

Council Member Michele Gregory rejected this explanation, suggesting the art proposal was never genuine. "The art community, largely responded by rejecting his offer to put art in that spot in place of this crosswalk, which tells me it's not really about the appearance of them being uniform with code and all of that. It's just about getting rid of the crosswalks," Gregory stated.

Mark DeLancey, executive director of Shore Pride Alliance , expressed profound disappointment with the removal. "There's no other words to describe it other than we're losing a part of what creates not just our identity, but the stories and the building of self-esteem and unity behind those colors and those concepts," DeLancey said. However, he remained hopeful about future possibilities, stating that community members might find ways to repaint the crosswalk.

The removal sparked heated exchanges at a subsequent city council meeting, with former Mayor Jake Day—under whose administration the crosswalk was installed—publicly criticizing Taylor's decision.