UF’s Norman Tunnel has become a rainbow-infused battlefield.
In the days since Gainesville removed its rainbow crosswalks at the state's demand, rainbow murals have popped up across the city in response, including on UF’s campus. What followed was a spray-paint battle to claim Norman Tunnel’s walls.
On Aug. 20, about 20 people painted two rainbow pathways at both entrances of the Norman Hall Tunnel.
About a week later, an unknown individual spray-painted over the rainbow with the Greek letters for Phi Delta Theta — a fraternity on campus. Later that night came “Trump 2028.” The following day, the rainbows were covered with an American flag, and black paint crossed out the words “Support LGBT+” on the tunnel’s walls.
In response, UF’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, or UF PPGA, hosted an event Aug. 31 called “Won’t Back Down” to restore the rainbow mural — this time, bigger, stretching across the length of the tunnel.
“LGBTQ community in Gainesville is not going anywhere no matter what they do,” UF PPGA president Amanda Hiatt said. “That is not something that we stand for, and we’re gonna keep repainting it until that point gets across.”
Art in the Norman Tunnel is typically temporary, and Hiatt said she expected that parts of the rainbow would get covered, eventually.
A few hours after the event, the rainbow was defaced once again, painted over with crosses, lines of Biblical scripture and other religious ideals.
UF’s chapter of Phi Delta Theta doesn’t support the action and is taking steps to correct the issue, the fraternity said in a press release.
UF College Democrats and Alachua County Democrats raised supply funds for the second rainbow mural. The groups gathered about $430, according to UF College Democrats spokesperson Olivia Belinc — enough to afford spray paint through the entire tunnel.
“I think majority of it will be maintained for a pretty long time, more so than other messages would be, just because I think it’s much bigger this time, it’s hard to miss,” Belinc said.
It took 30 minutes and 40 people to complete the tunnel-long rainbow. People also painted words and designs such as “pride” and “protect the dolls” along the walls of the tunnel in reference to the LGBTQ+ community. The words “Support LGBT+” were also repainted.
Lucas Nadeau, a 20-year-old UF political science junior and student senator, said the paint covering the rainbows was “just sad, but honestly not shocking.”
UF PPGA said it is determined to find a “more permanent way to support LGBTQ+ visibility in our city” after the week’s events.
Contact Teia Williams at twilliams@alligator.org. Follow her on X @teia_williams
Teia is a general assignment reporter for Metro. She is also a second semester journalism transfer student from Daytona State College and served as Editor-in-Chief for In Motion, DSC's student newspaper. When she's not writing, Teia can be found reading, going to concerts, at the beach and talking about her favorite artists.
