Over the past few weeks, students at St. Ambrose University may have noticed a colorful addition to campus. A rainbow crosswalk made of chalk provides students and faculty a colorful surprise. However, the crosswalk is more than just pretty colors.
Back in 2016, a gunman opened fire at PULSE, a club home to queer nightlife in Orlando Florida, killing 49 people. The effects of the shooting were felt heavily within the state and around the world, and a crosswalk memorial was painted in 2017. However, in 2025, the memorial was paved over due to state officials deeming it “too political”.
Residents have continually recolored the crosswalk in chalk, prompting warnings and arrests. Following this, more people began creating their own tributes, including PRISM, a gay straight alliance right here on campus.
While the crosswalk is dedicated to loves lost, it also holds deeper meaning for some of the students on campus. Lillie Springer, the president of PRISM, says “We have a space here. We exist in every form, every place, everywhere. There are devout people in faith who are queer, queer exists throughout history, throughout time, throughout every place and it exists here. So we’re making it known that it’s okay to be here that way.”
Makayla Duda, the president of Asian Bees Club says, “I feel like finding this community has really helped me and being able to show up in ways like painting a rainbow chalk thing helps me to get more connected with the community.”
To date, the Pulse Nightclub shooting is the largest mass shooting carried out by a single gunman in history. The tragedy does not stop people from pushing forward. The rainbow crosswalk is a dedication to the lives
lost, but it is also a symbol of existence and a rejection of the erasure being put on the LGBTQ+ community.
