Rainbow crosswalk a long time coming
I’ve always considered myself to be an open-minded and moderately kind person. So, it seems to me things are plainly obvious, like this particular issue I was affronted with following the installation of the rainbow crosswalk.
As some of you may know it is pride month, a month that was established to celebrate LGBT+ identities and to honor those who fought tirelessly to give us the rights we have today. So naturally, when I observed this celebration being honored by my community I was absolutely over the moon.
I am an LGBT+ person myself; I’ve lived on this Island for 13 years and in the Cowichan Valley for a little over two years now. In the span of those two years I have had the pleasure to meet so many diverse people in this community and that includes a large amount of other LGBT+ folks. I don’t think that your average person really appreciates how much people like me make up the community around them
I know gay couples who live together, trans people who are students at the schools, bisexual women who work just in your local grocery store or in retail at the mall. Cowichan is a thriving and diverse community of so many different LGBT+ identities and I know I’m not only speaking for myself when I say the rainbow crosswalk felt like a long time coming.
But I have to say that I was slightly disheartened to see certain responses to this, and every time we take a step forward I feel like some people whose opinions are maybe slightly lagging behind the rest in terms of tolerance come out of the woodwork. All I hope is that the few silly people expressing these kinds of hurtful views in a very public forum will not disheartened the community from continuing to trek forward.
LGBT+ people are part of your community, they always have been and they always will be, and I look forward to that being represented more and more. For now all I can say is I hope to see a lot more rainbows around town in years to come.
Charlie Cacchioni
Duncan