Drag performer sells bricks from Miami Beach's removed rainbow crosswalk to fund Pride groups

A South Florida drag performer is selling bricks from Miami Beach's removed rainbow crosswalk to raise money for Pride organizations across the state.

Eric Swanson, who performs as Miss Bouvee, won 50 of the bricks at auction and is now selling them at auction to benefit Pride groups in Key West and Naples. Donations start at $250 per brick, and Swanson has raised more than half of his $15,000 goal.

"A lot of people just want a piece of our history. I think that it's something tactile. It's not just living it, you can hold it, and it's something that really means something to people," Swanson said.

The state ordered the removal of all street art, including rainbow crosswalks, last year. The order prompted protests across South Florida.

The city of Miami Beach reused some of the bricks from the crosswalk at 12th Street and Ocean Drive to create a rainbow-colored pedestrian area near the original. The rest were auctioned.

Swanson said he picked the two organizations because smaller Pride celebrations often lack corporate sponsors. He said they are now under threat from Senate Bill 1143, which bars local governments from using tax dollars to fund or promote diversity, equity, and inclusion activities, such as Pride festivals.

"In Key West, this is actually financing the live performance stage. This is keeping locals employed during Pride. It's giving them a living wage so they can perform. It's financing the production," Swanson said.

He said the crosswalk may be gone, but its message lives on.

"You can't erase us," Swanson said. "We are important; we are voters in this state. We are taxpayers in this state. We have families in this state just like anybody else. And we deserve to be seen, and visibility is our protest, so we're happy to keep going."

People can learn more and order a brick via a link on Swanson's Instagram account.