The first permanent rainbow crosswalk in the U.S. was installed in 2012 on San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood (Los Angeles, California). Since then, dozens of cities across the United States and around the world have commissioned local artists to create similar tributes to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Most rainbow crosswalks are originally installed and maintained through private donations or local LGBTQ+ advocacy groups although some have been able to secure local tax dollars.

OAKLAND HISTORY

Early Non-Permanent and Guerrilla Installations:

OAKLAND PRIDE ORIGINAL SITE

The first temporary rainbow crosswalk on record surfaced in 2016 near the historical Oakland Pride site at 20th and Franklin streets. However, a massive street construction project caused the faded crosswalk to be dug up in 2025. 

WHITE HORSE INN

Frustrated by years of stalled negotiations with the city, LGBTQ activist groups and the Temescal Business Improvement District, took matters into their own hands. In 2018, they carried out a guerrilla "scofflaw" painting of rainbow crosswalks at Telegraph Avenue and 66th Street.

The unsanctioned crosswalks were placed directly outside the White Horse Inn—recognized as one of the oldest continuously operating queer bars in the United States. While these early installations brought vital visibility, they were non-permanent.

THE MILESTONE

Oakland's First Municiple Designated Permanent Rainbow Crosswalk Installation.

On November 13, 2025—coinciding with the second anniversary of the Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District—Oakland formally unveiled its first official, permanent thermoplastic rainbow crosswalk directly in front of Oakland's first LGBTQ Community Center at the intersection of Lakeshore and Lake Park.

Mayor Barbara Lee proclaimed the day Lakeshore District Day. The project was championed by district co-chairs Jeff Myers and Joe Hawkins alongside Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Charlene Wang, with funding support aided by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the City of Oakland.

Leaders emphasized the installation as a defiant and celebratory message of inclusion for trans, queer, and non-binary individuals, arriving during a period when some state and federal bodies were pushing back against or removing intersectional public art nationwide.

Additional thermalplastic crosswalks were added in the early morning hours of Sunday August 9, 2026, just ahead of the Moore Hope Plaza dedication 

ceremony and Oakland Pride.

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Today, all rainbow crosswalks lead to Moore Hope Plaza, the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center and the Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District and serve as symbols that LGBTQ+ residents of Oakland are welcome, safe, and supported.