When I first saw this story show up on Twitter this weekend I immediately questioned whether or not it was real or some sort of AI fakery designed to make the LGBT community in the Los Angeles area look stupid. As it turned out, however, it was very real. Local news outlets were celebrating the latest "victory" during Pride month as officials along with some drag queens went around the Silver Lake neighborhood taking down "No U-Turn" signs. Why? Great question. Apparently the signs were deemed to be "anti-gay." If you're confused over this, you aren't alone. But the participants seemed very excited about it and there was much clapping and rejoicing. Fox News has the details, along with some of the history behind this complaint.

Officials this week removed the last traffic signs from a Los Angeles neighborhood to cleanse the area of its anti-gay past.

The signs that read "No cruising. No U-turns. Midnight to 6 am" were posted around the Silver Lake neighborhood in 1997, with the intent to curb gay men from roaming the streets to hook up, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Just in time for PRIDE month, the signs were retired this week.

As usual, when it comes to any LGBT madness, Riley Gaines quickly weighed in with the perfect analysis. These people have apparently run out of examples of actual oppression or marginalization and now they're just making things up as they go along.

The best part of this is that literally *no one* would know 'no u-turn' signs have ever meant anything other than no u-turn.

I've never seen a group that so desperately WANTS to be "oppressed" or "marginalized" https://t.co/ElknwNy9MT

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 15, 2024

As noted in the excerpt above and documented by the L.A. Times, back in the 90s, signs were erected that said "No Cruising. No U-turns." The restrictions applied between midnight and six in the morning. "Cruising" was apparently a reference to gay men looking to hook up with each other in the neighborhood. In that context, I suppose it's understandable how some people might be offended and want the signs to be taken down.

But that's where the problem comes in. The signs in question were taken down almost fifteen years ago. The only signs remaining made no reference to "cruising." They were just basic street signs prohibiting U-turns during certain hours. If you watch the video in the Riley Gaines tweet above, you can see them being removed. They are clearly nothing more than typical traffic signs.

Officials restrict U-turns in certain places and during particular time periods for a variety of reasons. These might involve periods of high traffic, crowded conditions, or narrow streets. They have those rules for a reason. Does the removal of these signs now mean that people will be allowed to attempt U-turns wherever and whenever they like without penalty? It will be interesting to see what happens if someone attempts this, leading to an accident and a subsequent lawsuit. The guilty party will be able to point to the lack of signage and insist that what they were doing was perfectly legal. 

You should probably head outside now and begin inspecting your own neighborhood to see if any of these hateful signs are installed on your streets. You wouldn't want to unwittingly endorse emotional violence against the LGBTQ community, right? Of course, if you attempt to tear them down in a more sane neighborhood, you might wind up being arrested and forced to pay for a replacement.