Oak Lawn church’s rainbow steps OKed despite city code concerns
Dallas church's rainbow steps allowed to stay
There was recent concern over the painting of the steps at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church. The church painted the steps in rainbow colors in October after Gov. Greg Abbott said cities could not have political messages on crosswalks.
DALLAS - The rainbow-colored steps outside a church in Oak Lawn will be allowed to stay despite concerns of city code violations.
What's new:
On Monday, the Dallas Landmark Commission voted unanimously in favor of allowing Oak Lawn United Methodist Church to keep its painted steps as an art installation.
However, the installation can only be up for 12 months. If the church wants to keep it longer, it will have to go back before the commission.
The backstory:
Oak Lawn UMC’s parishioners painted the church’s front steps in October as a show of support for the LGBTQ community.
That happened after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive to the Texas Department of Transportation to ensure all political messages were removed from public streets, including the church’s iconic rainbow crosswalk. The governor threatened to pull state funding from cities and counties that did not comply.
But because Oak Lawn UMC’s building is a historic landmark, the painted steps had to be approved by the Dallas Landmark Commission.
And while the commission’s staff recommended approving the rainbow steps as an art installation, another task force argued the steps violated city code and should be denied.
Lubbock's iconic Buddy Holly crosswalks to be removed after Texas DOT mandate
Lubbock city officials announced plans to remove all decorative crosswalks, including the iconic Buddy Holly glasses design downtown.
What they're saying:
Dozens of people signed up to speak in support of the steps on Monday. There were no speakers against them.
"These steps are part of their story. They are where people gather, grieve and seek belonging," said the Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison, a senior pastor at Oak Lawn UMC.
"Oak Law does a lot of good in this community. The color of the steps does no harm," added Sharron, a member of the church.
Pastor Griffin-Allison said the installation is temporary, fully reversible, and does not damage the underlying building material.
Ultimately, the board approved them, calling it a "reasonable accommodation."
What's next:
As it relates to the rainbow crosswalk, the city of Dallas said it will challenge the question of the safety of the colorful crosswalk.
That information was sent to TxDOT last month. So far, there have been no new updates.
The Source: FOX 4's Tisia Muzinga gathered information for this story from Oak Lawn United Methodist Church and the agenda for Monday's Dallas Landmark Commission meeting.