UPDATE: Saskatoon Pride Festival team will repair rainbow crosswalk
Saskatoon’s recently installed rainbow crosswalk has been damaged after a driver tore through a downtown intersection and left dark tire marks at 23rd Street and 4th Avenue.
The skid marks surfaced on Monday, just two days after the lines were painted to celebrate Saskatoon’s LGBTQ community, pride month and the upcoming Saskatoon Pride Festival.
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On its Facebook page, the Saskatoon Pride Festival posted a picture of the crosswalk and wrote: “Love and Colour will always Over Shadow Hate and Darkness 🌈 #YxePride #LoveAlwaysWins”
Some social media users called it an act of homophobia.
Pride Festival co-chair Krystal Nieckar considers it a deliberate mark.
“It’s sad for the community that things like that are still happening,” Nieckar said.
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City crews will assess the damage on Tuesday, though Pride officials are undecided whether to leave the skid mark on the road.
The alternative would be to “leave it as a reminder that the community will rise above – always,” according to Nieckar.
Charlie Clark will be the first mayor in Saskatoon history to assume the role of pride parade grand marshal later this month.
If the act was an intentional statement, it would be a “real disappointment,” Clark said.
“Our diversity is something that makes us stronger,” he said.
The 25th annual Saskatoon Pride Festival begins Friday and runs until June 25.