Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe June 8 (UPI) -- Officials in a New Jersey township celebrated Pride Month by installing permanent rainbow-stripped crosswalks at a major intersection. Maplewood Township officially unveiled the crosswalks Thursday at the intersection of Oakview Avenue and Valley Street. Advertisement Officials said they wanted to make the rainbow crosswalks a permanent fixture to show support for the LGBT community. "This permanent symbol celebrates and honors our great diversity and inclusion, and it marks Maplewood yet again as one of the most welcoming and progressive communities throughout New Jersey," the township's official statement said. Maplewood Township Committeeman Dean Dafis, the first openly LGBT member of the body, celebrated the move. "We wanted to do something that would serve as a permanent marker or symbol of our commitment to inclusion," Dafis said. A few other U.S. cities have previously installed permanent rainbow-colored crosswalks, including Philadelphia, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, Calif. Read More Taylor Swift lauds LGBT Pride Month, wishes everyone can 'love equally' New Jersey mayor orders city restrooms to be gender-neutral
