Political road markings in Texas now include an ode to rock n roll legend Buddy Holly.At a city council meeting in Lubbock last week, David Bragg, interim director of public works, shared that his department will remove a hometown crosswalk tribute to the music icon that depicted Hollys signature horn-rimmed glasses. Related Greg Abbott is removing rainbow crosswalks. This church found a way to fight back. The decision comes in the aftermath of the Trump administrations diktat compelling U.S. governors to keep roadways free of distractions. The anti-LGBTQ+ order, disguised as a safety initiative, stated, Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork. The removal of rainbow Pride crosswalks, the unspoken target of the administrations order, ties federal and state funding to compliance and has been bolstered by red-state governors complicity. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today I dont think it was intended to go after the Buddy Holly glasses, the public works director said of the crosswalk crackdown. Unfortunately, it did.Anything on the roadway would have to be eliminated, he added.The four-sided crosswalk depicting four pairs of the iconic glasses was installed by the city in 2020 to celebrate Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley in 1936, the New York Times reports.The pioneering guitarist, best known for his hit song Thatll Be the Day, recorded in 1959, died in a plane crash three years later at age 22, alongside fellow musicians Ritchie Valens and J.P. Big Bopper Richardson. The crash was immortalized in the enduring song American Pie by Don McLean as the day the music died. Its so unfortunate because its such a tasteful cross section, and people like it, council member Christy Martinez-Garcia said at the meeting. But what do you do?Also caught up in the crosswalk purge in Lubbock: a Polka Dots-themed crosswalk on Mac Davis Lane (named for another popular singer and Lubbock native, late country artist Mac Davis), as well as a crosswalk with a mesquite motif. Theres no record of rainbow crosswalks in the northwest Texas town.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) have been the most eager accomplices in the Trump administrations crosswalk and street art erasures.In Texas, rainbow crosswalks have been slated for removal or destroyed in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, with some facing more protest from residents and officials than others. In October, the South Texas border town of Laredo removed a street mural fronting the citys courthouse that read Defund the Wall, after funding threats from Abbott.Several cities in Florida have removed rainbow crosswalks at the order of DeSantis, who rivals Trump in his disdain for LGBTQ+ public identity. Many of the removals happened in the dead of night.Among the most egregious: the destruction of a crosswalk honoring the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Orlando.Both state and federal officials have justified the actions by claiming street art is distracting to drivers. The data, however, supports the complete opposite.TheBloomberg Philanthropies 2022 Asphalt Art Safety Studyfound that crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists drop 50% at painted intersections. It also reported a 25% decrease in conflicts between drivers and pedestrians, a 27% increase in drivers immediately yielding to pedestrians, and a 38% decrease in pedestrians crossing when the walk signal was not lit at intersections involving public art. The data also revealed that injuries resulting from crashes drop 37% in painted intersections. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.