Well, I am also gay, and I think the Rainbow crosswalks are not needed. I would rather see some historical signage placed in the area that explains why 4th St. is significant to the gay and lesbian community in Austin. From the early 1990s forward (and possibly earlier), there was always a mix of gay and straight venues in that area, and more recently the area is home to mostly straight venues. Austin has never had a real gay neighborhood or even a completely gay nightlife district. That was one of the first things I realized about Austin when I finally settled here almost 20 years ago. At first it kind of bothered me, but I came to realize that gays and straights actually mixed it up in Austin in a pretty harmonious way. I had lived in older and larger cities both on the East and West coasts where gay life was actually quite segregated with separate residential neighborhoods, shopping districts, bars, and restaurants. There has never been much of that in Austin. Rainbow crosswalks here seem to be commemorating something that never quite existed. BTW, I bet few people realize that the old Boathouse (one of the first gay venues in the Warehouse District. was owned by a very famous and very accomplished pro football player who never officially came out but died from AIDs back in 1985. His name was Jerry Smith and he was a star tight end for the Washington Redskins. He lived in Austin part-time after retiring from football. Dave Kopay, another less accomplished Redskin and the first openly gay NFL player, was also an investor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_...an_football%29