After years of being targeted by vandals, the Pride crosswalk in Fort Langley could be relocated.
The potential move is receiving a lot of backlash. Supporters of Pride aren’t happy with the move, suggesting that the disappearance of the rainbow crosswalk is caving into critics and those who continually deface it.
Coun. Tim Baillie, who is behind the motion, says it’s about respect.
Baillie was set to ask his counterparts to replace it with something that speaks to the history of Fort Langley, but wants to engage with the Langley Pride Society to make good on what its supporters want.
“By raising this subject, we’re going to get more visibility on it, and I’m looking at engaging with Langley Pride Society in the future about how to go forward on this in a way that is meaningful to them.”
He also prepared to pitch the idea of moving the crosswalk in front of Township Hall — a location he says is more prominent.
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“I want to put a rainbow crosswalk at the entrance to our City Hall so that every person who comes to City Hall to do business will see that we are standing with this community and that we’re not running away from it,” he said.
The Langley Pride Society says it’s deeply disappointed by the proposal and asked people to reach out to council ahead of Monday’s meeting to show politicians the community values diversity and inclusivity.
The group also plans to come up with a list of where it thinks a rainbow crosswalk should be, saying that celebrating Pride is key to ensuring the community has a visible and respected place in the township.
At the beginning of Monday’s meeting Baillie announced he had pulled the motion from the agenda, citing having been swayed by “rational discussion” to delay.
He says he hadn’t met with the Langley Pride Society in time to table the motion Monday.
