Houston Mayor Funds LGBT Banners Downtown

Houston’s Montrose neighborhood once again has prominent LGBT-themed banners displayed along Westheimer Road, nearly a year after the city removed rainbow crosswalks from the area following direction from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

According to reporting from Texas Scorecard, ten banners featuring the “Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag” are now being installed on CenterPoint utility poles between Taft Street and Montrose Boulevard. The project was supported by Houston Mayor John Whitmire and several local officials and LGBT advocacy organizations.

Mayor Whitmire personally provided approximately $10,000 for the installation. The money had originally been set aside through the offices of former Councilmember Abbie Kamin and Councilmember Joe Panzarella, but Whitmire replaced those funds with a personal check. The mayor has said he preferred using private money rather than city funds for the project.

In 2025, Gov. Abbott directed the Texas Department of Transportation to enforce roadway standards concerning nonstandard surface markings, signage, and signals. Cities that failed to comply faced potential consequences involving state and federal transportation funding. Houston ultimately removed the rainbow crosswalk.

The Houston City Council revived the Lower Westheimer Banner District, allowing banners to be displayed along the corridor. The district had historically been used for Pride banners before the area's Pride parade moved downtown.

The city had to revive the Lower Westheimer Banner District to permit the displays, and the banners occupy utility poles along a public corridor. The project therefore still involves governmental approval and public infrastructure, even though the mayor supplied the money for the installation.

The disagreement over the Westheimer banners is ultimately part of a larger national and Texas debate over whether government-controlled spaces should be used to promote particular cultural movements or remain institutionally neutral.

Pride flags represent weird and unnatural forms of sex. Displaying them in front of children should never be the case. Government owned property should never have pride symbols or materials no matter who pays for them.