‘SUPPORTIVE STATEMENT’
Calgary has become just the third Canadian city to paint a crosswalk — at 17th Avenue and 4th Street S.W. — with the colours of the Transgender Pride flag.
With the launch of the Calgary Pride festival set for Friday evening, two new crosswalks have appeared at a busy 17th Avenue intersection, including the city’s first to represent the Transgender Pride flag.
A rainbow crosswalk with the colours of the Pride flag and another with the colours of the Transgender Pride flag are now in place at 4th Street and 17th Avenue S.W.
Jason Kingsley, president and executive producer of Calgary Pride, said Calgary is the third Canadian city, after Whitehorse and Lethbridge, to display the blue, pink and white flag across a street.
“It’s quite a positive and supportive statement for our city to have that done,” he said.
“To see that ahead of some of the other larger markets, like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, I think really says something about our city.”
Kingsley said Calgary Pride was approached by the project lead for the city’s 17th Avenue reconstruction project about setting up some rainbow crosswalks.
“So we replied back and said, ‘you know, it would actually be really fantastic if we could talk to you about doing a transgender flag, because that hasn’t been done,’” he recounted.
“So we’re really honoured to partner with the City of Calgary on installing the first transgender crosswalk in Calgary.”
Kingsley added it wasn’t until this year that transgender rights were protected under the Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, after Bill C-16 was passed in the Senate in June.
The Calgary Pride Festival kicks off Friday and runs until Sept. 4.