Students may have noticed something missing after returning to campus from spring break. The Pride crosswalks that once welcomed students to campuses have been repainted white.
I walked into The Globe newsroom after hearing the news and said, “Sorry, folks. I am in a mood today.”
I realized this news was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. And, yes, in this case, I am the camel.
I graduated from Salt Lake Community College in 2021. Five years later, finding myself back in a space that I was once so proud to be a part of, I feel I’ve stepped into the Upside-Down version of a place that used to pride itself on its diversity and inclusion. The college was even nationally recognized for being LGBTQ+ friendly.
As a mom of queer kids, I felt assured that if they attended SLCC, they would learn in a place where multiple identities were reflected, including theirs.
The crosswalks are just the latest move, whether initiated by college administration or the state legislature, that strips that sense of belonging. SLCC says it repainted the crosswalks to comply with the National Manual on Uniform Traffic Control. But the message these acts send is that SLCC is quietly stepping away from the values it once championed.
Offices, services and centers have been restructured and renamed, prioritizing political compliance over student success. This comes on top of academic funding cuts, including SLCC cutting 5% more than Utah required. How is this serving students?
Peter Moosman, an SLCC alum, former assistant director of cultural programming and manager of the Gender and Sexuality Student Resource Center, was let go when the college closed the center in December, ending more than 15 years of employment.
Moosman said he remembered the 2016 dedication of the Pride crosswalks. He said the timing was especially poignant, coming shortly after a shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando killed 49 people.
“The president of the college was there and was speaking; it was a big deal,” he said, noting he had just come out as gay. “I just remember feeling so humbled and proud of where I worked.”
Moosman said the crosswalk symbolized a bridge to acceptance, inclusion and belonging.
“It was very meaningful for me, and I know it was very meaningful for a lot of employees, students and members of the community.”
Each Pride Month, Moosman said he and his team encouraged students to take photos on the crosswalks and share what they meant to them.
“People weren’t just posting pictures,” he said. “They were sharing their stories.”
Over the years, those stories helped the crosswalks become one of SLCC’s most visible symbols of allyship.
Moosman said he wasn’t surprised to see the crosswalks painted over because of the closure of the GSSRC and other college and statewide changes he has seen over the last few years.
“It reinforces the feeling that we’re being put back in the closet,” he said. “We’re being pushed back into the shadows.”
The crosswalk was about much more than paint. It represented the SLCC I once knew — a simple message letting queer students know they were welcome and safe. Painting over it sends a message, too.
