Rainbow crosswalk in Toronto, Canada in 2014
A rainbow crosswalk in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada was vandalized. This came just a day after students at École Harbour Landing School’s Gay-Straight Alliance painted the crosswalks to honor Pride month.
A spokesperson for Regina Public Schools released the following statement after black tire marks defaced the freshly painted rainbow:
‘The Rainbow Crosswalk painted by students at École Harbour Landing School demonstrates their honest desire to make all students, residents and visitors in the Harbour Landing community feel like they belong, like they are welcome and that they are safe. Vandalism to a crosswalk, or to any public structure in a community demonstrates one individual’s fundamental disrespect and disregard for that community and its residents.’
Past vandalizations
This is not the first time a rainbow crosswalk has been vandalized in Canada. Last year, black tired marks appeared on a rainbow crosswalk in Regina just two days after they were painted. The same thing also happened in Alberta.
Additional rainbow crosswalks
However, these instances are not hindering other parts of Canada from celebrating Pride with rainbow crosswalks.
The Pride Committee of Williams Lake, British Columbia, appeared before the City Council on Tuesday, 12 June to request the installation of a rainbow crosswalk.
‘We had a wonderful result, a unanimous decision to support the crosswalk installation,’ said Pride Committee president Willa Julius on CBC’s Daybreak Kamloops with Shelley Joyce.
‘A lot of them were saying that it’s time. We’ve waited a long time compared to a lot of the communities around here. It’s time to install the crosswalk for solidarity.’
According to Julius, the cost of the crosswalk (including paint, upkeep, and a celebratory ceremony) would cost about $2,000 CAD [€1,305.23; £1,144.23], which has already been raised by donations from local businesses in the community and other fundraising efforts.
The Committee plans to hold the opening ceremony for the crosswalk on 30 June at the annual Williams Lake Stampede Parade.
‘It provides that visibility for the members of the community that may be closeted or not known, it just gives them that little piece of hope that they may need,’ Julius said.
