The crosswalk in front of city hall got a bit brighter early Tuesday morning. The city of Kingston decided to start off Pride month a bit early by painting the crosswalk in rainbow colours, a scheme synonymous with the Pride movement.
According to the city, the new look marks the beginning of LGBTQ Pride month, which begins officially on June 1.
“It’s great to see the signature crosswalk in front of city hall being painted in support of the Pride celebrations happening this year,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson.
Paterson says he will ask city council to proclaim June as Kingston’s official Pride month.
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The mayor says he wants to “demonstrate that everyone is welcome and valued here in our city.”
The city says the paint is non-slip and environmentally friendly and has been applied on a temporary basis. The lines will be repainted at the end of June.
On top of the crosswalk, the Pride flag will fly at Confederation Park and city hall will be illuminated with rainbow colours on Friday, June 16, the same day of Kingston’s Pride Parade and the community fair in McBurney Park.
According to Sarah Withrow from the city of Kingston, the crosswalk was done because of a citizen request made to the city.
“It is the first time the city of Kingston has painted a crosswalk in this way, but many communities across Canada have done so,” Withrow said in an email.