HAY RIVER
It looks very likely that Hay River will be getting one of its crosswalks painted in the colours of the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ community.

Storm Larocque, the co-ordinator of Hay River Pride, made the proposal at the July 11 meeting of town council.

Larocque said Hay River Pride is entering its fourth official year promoting inclusion in the community.

"This year being the fourth year, we're inviting the town to show its support visibly," she said, suggesting the idea of painting a downtown sidewalk on Woodland Drive in the colours of the rainbow flag.

Larocque said there are already similarly-coloured crosswalks in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax and, as of earlier this year, Fort Smith.

And in Yellowknife, the street in front of city hall has already become quite a bit brighter with the appearance of rainbow crosswalks in celebration of Yellowknife's LGBTQ community. As well, the City of Yellowknife is flying the Pride flag in the weeks leading up to Pride in early August.

She told councillors it would cost the town nothing, since there has already been an offer to donate the paint and volunteers are ready to do the painting.

"All we're asking for is permission and to pick which crosswalk would be the most appropriate," she said, adding the colours would be maintained and it would become a great addition to the community.

"I feel like it's really important that the town visibly supports it as our aim is to make sure that future generations of LGBTQ youth don't have to face what we faced growing up," Larocque told the councillors. "They don't have to face the bullying, the harassment and the sexual harassment, the homophobia that we grew up with."

Council agreed to discuss the matter at its regular meeting on July 25 when a motion could be voted on. The July 11 gathering was a committee meeting at which no motions could be passed.

Aside from the crosswalk issue, council was in favour of flying the rainbow flag during August, which is Pride Month in the NWT.

The Hay River Pride event is set for Aug. 13.

In comments to News/North, Larocque described how she at first couldn't tell if councillors liked the idea of a rainbow flag crosswalk during her presentation.

Now, she is confident council supports the idea, noting that a couple of councillors even contacted her to express their support.

If the idea is approved by council on July 25, she hopes the crosswalk can be painted by Pride Day on Aug. 13.

Larocque said a rainbow flag crosswalk would be an important symbol of solidarity with the LGBTQ community

Mayor Brad Mapes is fully in support of painting a crosswalk in the colours of the rainbow flag.

"I think it's a great idea for our town to go forward with," he said. "We're going to put it to council. I don't see council not going ahead with it."

Mapes said he believes it would be a sign of the acceptance of gay people in Fort Smith.

"Our community is made up of everybody," he said. "It's not just a selected few. They're part of our community."

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