New Yorkers may have noticed that a bit of color has been added to their commute this past week. Special pride month posters celebrating Pride Month have been popping up on NYC subway platforms, mimicking the usual “service information” posters that inform riders of any service or schedule changes. These new posters alert commuters to the importance of the month of June, complete with a rainbow and the following rule: “No bigotry, hatred, and prejudice at this station.”
If any rider was concerned that this would somehow affect their commute, the poster assures them, “it doesn’t,” and if they don’t like it, they can “take the express train straight to hell” (and other variations).
The pride month posters were designed by Thomas Shim, who works in advertising. Shim told Gothamist that he and his collaborators, Ezequiel Consoli and Jack Welles, decided to make them after Donald Trump failed to formally acknowledge Pride Month on June 1. Shim also added that he was inspired by recent reports of hate crimes on subways:
We want people to feel that when they see these posters, they understand that this is a safe space. The MTA is the darkest space in the city, and kids and adults need to understand that they can be as open as they are above ground, and they should feel safe. Not just LGBTQ people and women, but also people of color.
200 posters have been released so far, with more expected throughout the month. Shim and his team have also made rainbow stickers to fit underneath the American flags affixed to the outside of some subway cars.
As for the MTA, Shim admits that he didn’t ask for permission to hang the pride month posters, but so far has not encountered any trouble, adding that he is “more than happy to work directly with the MTA for future project.”
The first batch of posters has certainly been well received, if Twitter is any indication:
Pride Train Aims to Keep the Underground Safe This June: https://t.co/N5b0BlCAPy This ???? is ????how ???? it’s ???? done ???? pic.twitter.com/lsiIV5zWI0
— Out Magazine (@outmagazine) June 4, 2017
NYC is so extra (gay) I love it #PrideTrain ???? pic.twitter.com/fngqlqHEMI
— Eliel Cruz-Lopez (@elielcruz) June 1, 2017
Love this . All time thou guys all time #pridetrain ♥??????????????????? pic.twitter.com/BTdAnmH66y
— LOVE?WIN (AC – K17) (@lovewin) June 3, 2017
Happy Pride Month, everyone! #PrideTrain #ShantayYouStay pic.twitter.com/AnbfGpc83K
— Kevin Nadal, Ph.D. (@kevinnadal) June 5, 2017
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