A city commission at Dallas is letting a church keep its rainbow-colored steps, which were painted to protest an order from Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, that directed cities to remove rainbow-colored crosswalks and designs from public streets. 

On Monday, Dallas’ Landmark Commission unanimously voted to let the Oaklawn United Methodist Church keep its rainbow-painted steps. 

Several Dallas residents spoke during the meeting to voice their support for the rainbow colored steps, arguing that the church is private property and that the paint job helps advance the church’s message of inclusivity. 

One commissioner, Rosemary Hinojosa, argued that the church should be able to keep the painted stairs so that the neighborhood would be visually attractive to tourists during the World Cup. 

The debate around the painted steps arose after Mr. Abbott’s order that rainbow crosswalks and “political” designs on public streets must be removed. The order stated that cities and counties must remove “any and all political ideologies from our streets” to ensure that roads are “safe and free from distraction.” He said that cities that did not comply with his order could lose state or federal transportation funding. 

In response, the Oak Lawn United Methodist Church painted its front steps the color of the rainbow in support of the LGBTQ community. The senior pastor of the church, Rachel Griffin-Allison, said the decision to paint the steps serves as a “visible witness to the gospel we preach: that every person is created in the image of God and worthy of safety, dignity, and belonging.” 

In a post on Facebook, the church said the decision to paint the steps was “not an act of defiance, but an expression of faith and solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.”

However, the future of the painted steps was called into question due to the church’s status as a landmark. The church was designated as a Dallas landmark in 1984, which means that any changes need to be approved by the Landmark Commission.

The Landmark Commission’s staff recommended that the panel approve the steps, calling it a temporary art installation that can be removed. The commission also said that the paint job was done in accordance with preservation standards. 

But a separate task force urged the commission not to approve the steps, Dallas’ ordinances that prohibit the use of bright colored paint on historical sites. 

Mr. Abbott’s office did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. 

The Oak Lawn United Methodist Church made headlines late last year for setting up a Nativity scene that depicted Mary and Joseph detained in an immigration center in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.