Supporting Barrhead's 2SLGTBQ+ community

BARRHEAD - "I did not know a crosswalk was even supposed to be here," one Barrhead youth said.

However, that should not be a problem, at least for the foreseeable future.

On June 4, about 100 people dropped by over about two and a half hours to lend their support or help create a Pride crosswalk in front of the Town of Barrhead municipality office going across 50th Avenue.

Caitlin Clarke, an ally of Barrhead's Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning (2SLGBTQ+) community, with the help of the Barrhead United Church, spearheaded the initiative.

It is the second year that Clarke and the church lead the charge for a Pride crosswalk. Last year the crosswalk was Main Street and 50 Avenue.

Clarke asked for approval for the crosswalk at the April 25 meeting.

Clarke noted the reason why they opted a move the crosswalk was that during one of the repainting sessions, due to vandalism, volunteers were verbally harassed by patrons of a nearby bar.

She also noted that the church had sent out invitations to recently reelected United Conservative Party Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA and Peace River-Westlock Conservative Party of Canada MP Arnold Viersen. Neither responded or attended.

However, she noted that former Barrhead native and NDP MLA for Edmonton-Highlands-Northwood Janis Irwin sent her regards.

The group also invited local municipal elected officials and Town of Barrhead mayor Dave McKenzie and councillors Anthony Oswald and Ty Assaf dropped by lending their support.

"It was a wonderful event," Clarke said. "It was just a day full of love, and we received so much support from everyone, from the people who helped with the painting of the crosswalk itself to the people who just dropped by to thank us or say a kind word to support us."

As to whether she received any flack for her efforts to support the 2SLGBTQ+ community, she said not really.

She noted earlier in the day when they were first drawing out the lines prior to painting, that told he wasn't impressed, and there were a few others.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but ours is that love is more important than hate," she said. "And they can come at me and have that conversation because we are happy to have it."

And although while Clarke may not have received much heat for her efforts, a Westlock resident who came to support the effort, noted that someone put a flyer under the windshield wiper vehicles in her church parking lot earlier that day, asking residents to contact their town councillors opposing any efforts to create a Pride crosswalk in their community, saying that they did not have the courage to identify themselves.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com