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Rainbow Crosswalk could be “live-saving” for LGBTQ2S Community: Pflag

July 23, 2020   ·   0 Comments

A rainbow is a symbol of hope for many around the world, but it can also be an important and life-saving signpost for the LGBTQ2S community.

These were the words shared with Council last week by Tristan Coolman, President of Pflag York Region, as local lawmakers signed off on the installation of York Region’s first Rainbow Crosswalk at Yonge and Wellington Streets following a motion from Mayor Tom Mrakas.

As a leader within York Region’s LGBTQ2S community, Mr. Coolman sees the struggle and fear some members of the community face every day. A very visible sign of support, such as the one approved by Council last Tuesday, will go a long way towards fostering a feeling of openness and respect, he said.

“For LGBTQ2 people, their lived experiences often involve repressing their true authentic self out of fear of being disowned, fear of being attacked, amongst other concerns,” Mr. Coolman told Council. “Aurora isn’t unique to these challenges as every hamlet, town and city worldwide faces similar obstacles. We, unfortunately, still live in a world and a community that is not always affirming and respectful of these lived experiences.

“A rainbow crosswalk serves as a visible sign of support from our elected officials for the LGBTQ people. It is a sign to anyone who feels different to, quite frankly, educate themselves. As many of us have learned over the last few weeks, social literacy is a skill that many of us are lacking. In a way, it is a new currency for how we measure our engagement with others. Agencies like Pflag York Region can support those journeys and this Rainbow Crosswalk might be the start of that for many residents.”

The statistics, he noted, make it clear that when LGBTQ2S people “see visible signs of support, whether it be in their household, amongst their chosen family, or from institutions and elected officials…their quality of life can improve. Their access to opportunities and to success greatly improves as well.”

“For some, this may be another crosswalk and others may question [if] it is smart to invest tax dollars in this, but take it from someone who leads an LGBT organization, who has heard stories from LGBTQ2 folks, their friends and family from across York Region, take it from someone themselves who identifies within the community, this Rainbow Crosswalk could be life-saving. It has the potential to inject a dose of hope, validation and optimism into anyone who crosses over that. When it does that, even just for one person, it is completely worth it.”

Not everyone was in favour of the initiative, however – albeit for different reasons.

Aurora resident Jim Sinkovic, making a delegation to Council, questioned the wisdom of installing such a sidewalk at Yonge and Wellington from both a safety and cost perspective.

“[The stated intent] is to have a large visual presence – we already have red light cameras at this intersection to promote safety, isn’t it possible drivers will be even more likely to misread a light due to being distracted and looking down at the road instead of at light signals?” he questioned.

Mr. Sinkovic also questioned the use of thermoplastic required to make the rainbow crosswalk a reality. As a motorcyclist, he said he was concerned the rainbow stripes would make things more slippery for cyclists and pedestrians alike.

“While others say this might be lifesaving for the community, this may also be deadly to a motorcyclist,” he said, before Al Downey, Aurora’s Director of Operations, said that the present intersection already uses the same materials at its crosswalks.

An additional concern, he noted, was the proposed $12,600 budget to make the Rainbow Crosswalk a reality. Not only did the cost seem excessive, he said, but it didn’t take into account the Region’s plans to install new turn lanes at Yonge and Wellington in the years ahead.

“What benefit is spending $12,000 on a display that will last for a year or two rather than something more permanent or something reaching a wider audience like an information campaign, for example? Why not install one or more flags like most other communities do? What does it say about our priorities when we spend $12,000 on this frivolous display rather than doing more to help out our local businesses?”

In response, Councillor Harold Kim said he did not see a Rainbow Crosswalk as a “frivolous” display and said when it is a matter of “human rights…there is no price tag.”

“On principle, I would support the Rainbow Crosswalk,” he said. “Rainbows have many symbolic interpretations for the LGBTQ community and it means acceptance. For other faith-based groups like Christians, it means God’s covenant of grace, and, for the general population, it might mean hope and prosperity. For all of these reasons, having it on our main street sidewalk would be visually and symbolically appealing to a wide-cross-section of Aurorans.”

Speaking to his motion, Mayor Mrakas reiterated his position that a Rainbow Crosswalk would, in his view, show Aurora as “an inclusive, diverse community that is welcoming to all.”

This was a view shared by the majority of Council, who passed the motion on a vote of 5 – 2. Voting against the motion were Councillors Wendy Gaertner and John Gallo, who questioned the project’s $12,600 budget without knowing until the end of the meeting, nearly an hour after the vote was taken, that an anonymous donor had stepped up to kick in $10,000 towards the plan.

Had this been revealed during the discussion, they contended their votes would have in favour of the Rainbow Crosswalk. (For more on Council’s discussion, see Page 15 of this week’s Auroran)

Following Aurora’s decision, Mr. Coolman said Pflag plans to partner with other LGBTQ2S organizations across York Region to encourage other Councils to adopt Rainbow Crosswalks across every York Region municipality.

By Brock Weir



         

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