Editor:
To the Gibsons resident(s) who wishes to see the rainbow crosswalk removed due to “safety” concerns, we ask whose safety you have in mind. Surely a rainbow crosswalk would be more visible than a white one during the winter.
Perhaps visibility is the problem. Are you uncomfortable with the crosswalk, or with what the crosswalk represents? Are you fine with us if we aren’t flamboyant, affectionate, or within your line of sight?
Pride Month may be over, but it is the only month of the year that our community approaches the visibility that cis and hetero folks enjoy year-round. That visibility is an essential part of our safety. We live in an age when we (finally) have the right to legally marry our partners regardless of gender (even if some of our genders are not yet recognized), yet many of us face daily discrimination, and trans people face rates of violence and death that are unimaginable to most cisgender folks.
We are not yet safe.
A rainbow crosswalk is a tiny reminder that we exist and that we are not going anywhere. It’s a small gesture of solidarity that makes people feel less supported in their bigotry. Perhaps instead of a distraction, you could view those crosswalks as symbols of safety for those who need it most, or as a reminder to reshape your beliefs and do less harm. Because what you are suggesting is an act of erasure, and part of an ongoing history that includes the silencing of a diverse community of human beings because we don’t fit into a narrow box.
If we have pegged you wrong and you are genuinely concerned about all the distracting colours, please accept our sincere apology, and please, for all our safety, stay off the road.
Natasha Miller and Meghan Walley, Roberts Creek
