Letter: Should public dollars fund Pride displays?

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Editor,

I have debated with myself about this topic for a couple of weeks, and I really don’t wish to offend anyone, but I question the Coupeville Town Council on their spending public money to paint the crosswalk at Coveland and Alexander in what I assume is a nod to the gay Pride Month celebration. Perhaps this is not publicly funded, but if privately sponsored, shouldn’t they have to return the crosswalk to its original design when the month is over? I wonder what makes the Pride Month so special that public funds are used to deface a street crossing.

On Memorial Day, volunteers line the streets with American flags, likewise on Independence Day and Veterans Day. No public funds are used to my knowledge, and it honors all of us. On Halloween, local businesses and organizations decorate without asking for public money, and the decorations are taken down after the holiday, so why can’t the gay community do what other groups do?

Additionally, why are we paying for something that is semipermanent. At the end of the month the crosswalk will not be returned to its designated use but will slowly fade until next June. If the town wishes to deface that crossing with something that celebrates something meaningful why not paint it to cover all the American holidays that matter, it will only take two colors between the white stripes — blue and red.

Fred Wilferth

Coupeville