Harvest Sarasota invites community to paint rainbow crosswalk

Harvest Sarasota, a progressive church in Sarasota, is mobilizing in the face of statewide orders to remove crosswalk and sidewalk art – including the recent erasure of the Pulse Memorial in Orlando in the dead of night last month and the painting over of the downtown Sarasota Pride Crosswalk and sidewalk art in late August.

The church invites all friends of diversity to join them to bring back Pride crosswalks to the Gulf Coast, including one that will be painted on its own campus (3650 17th St., Sarasota) during an event on Sunday, September 14 at noon. Attendees will participate in painting an Inclusive Pride Progress crosswalk between the Life Enrichment Campus and Learning Center on the Harvest Sarasota/Harvest House campus.

“At Harvest Sarasota, we are dedicated to the core values of love, action, inclusion and hope. We have taken a firm stand against the generational hatred and shame that has been thrown at marginalized communities and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure that those communities feel seen, safe and loved by our community here,” said Harvest Sarasota President and CEO – and Pastor – Dan Minor. “With every brushstroke, we will celebrate love, inclusion, and the beauty of diversity. We invite everyone to be a part of something bold, colorful and meaningful!”

Harvest Sarasota has found itself the target of intolerance in recent years. After installing “Safe Zone” signs featuring the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress Flag several years ago, those signs were first torn down in May of 2023. Then again in October of 2024 and once more in July of 2025. Each time, the church posted defiant videos on social media showing Minor installing larger and stronger Safe Zone signs; the church now has four large signs and added cameras this summer to ensure any further vandalism would be caught on film. The videos have garnered tens of thousands of views and reactions, including over 100,000 views on TikTok.

For Harvest House VP of Advancement Katie McCurry, the crosswalk painting is deeply personal. McCurry is the co-founder of LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit Project Pride SRQ and she was the force behind the fundraising – totaling over $100,000 – and installation of the Pride Crosswalk in downtown Sarasota in the spring of 2021. She was heartbroken when the crosswalk – which paid tribute to unity, inclusion and visibility in a big way by the then-fledgling nonprofit organization – was targeted for erasure but is heartened by the prospect of making the symbol permanent on the Harvest campus.

“Hate can try – but love wins every time,” McCurry said. “This crosswalk is much more than paint; it’s a declaration that diversity belongs here. We invite everyone to pick up a brush and help us show that inclusion cannot be erased.”

All are welcome at the event on September 14; no RSVP is needed. Visit harvestsarasota.com or call 941-953-3559 for more information.

About Harvest Sarasota
Harvest Sarasota is a non-denominational, progressive church in Sarasota, Florida, committed to creating an affirming and inclusive environment for all people to experience God’s love. Under the leadership of Pastor Dan Minor, we celebrate diversity, prioritize authentic worship, and actively pursue justice and community well-being. Join us Sundays at 10 a.m. at 3650 17th Street or online at harvestsarasota.com.