Showing their pride

BARRHEAD - It couldn't have gone any better.

On June 5, between 100-150 people gathered at the intersection of Main Street and Kowalski Drive (50 Avenue) to take part in the Town of Barrhead's first-ever pride crosswalk painting.

"I thought that there might be about a dozen people, but to have a turnout like this, it is just amazing," said Caitlin Clarke, an advocate of Barrhead's non-heterosexual community and organizer of the event.

She noted that although many of the crowd were from out of town, in large part due to Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood NDP MLA Janis Irwin publicizing the event, the vast majority of attendees, as far as she could tell, were from the immediate area.

Clarke added that when it became apparent that the event would be much larger than she first imagined, she reached out to her United Church family.

"People brought cookies, muffins, chilli, and baked desserts, and it turned out to be a large community affair," she said. "It is incredible for me to be supported, and I hope that support translates and is felt by the community we are."

Town of Barrhead mayor Dave McKenzie, who was joined by town Coun. Anthony Oswald, said he was pleased to see such a large, enthusiastic turnout.

"I think it shows what a welcoming, inclusive community Barrhead really is," he said.

Another individual, who did not give her name, said the pride crosswalk was long overdue.

"I have been here since 1963, back when Barrhead was a progressive, understanding and welcoming place," she said. "In the last 10 years, it has changed. It's not welcoming, and it shows economically and socially, but this is part of our renewal."

Irwin was first elected to the legislature in 2019 and is the only openly LGBTQ MLA in the Alberta legislature and is the Official Opposition deputy whip and critic for Women and LGBTQ2S issues.

She also is a Barrhead native who left home after graduating high school in 2002 to pursue her education in education, spending the majority of her career teaching in rural Alberta.

Two weeks prior, Irwin said, she visited the community to talk to a group of Barrhead Composite High School School gay-straight-alliance (GSA) students and was not sure that she would be able to return to her home town so soon. But when she received the invitation from the Barrhead United Church, she knew that she had to come.

Organizers noted that similar invitations were also made to Peace River-Westlock Conservative Party of Canada MP Arnold Viersen and Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock United Conservative Party MLA Glenn van Dijken, but they did not attend.

"I wanted to be here, especially after I learned that they had received some pushback," Irwin said. "(The crosswalk) is important is that it is a symbol of people being safe and welcomed, and it looks great. Seeing this crosswalk just makes me so proud to be from Barrhead."

Background

On May 10, Clarke approached the Town of Barrhead council to ask permission for a group of volunteers to paint a crosswalk on Main Street in rainbow colours to commemorate pride month in June.

Although councillors were unanimously in support of her request, they tabled the decision until their May 24 meeting so that mayor Dave McKenzie, who was away on a training course, could be present to make the vote truly unanimous.

However, while the council unanimously granted their approval on May 24, the vote wasn't straightforward, as Coun. Rod Klumph walked back his initial support, asking his fellow councillors to convince him that it was the correct decision.

In the end, Klumph agreed to approve the request on the caveat that acknowledges that the rainbow is a symbol of other traditions, faiths and cultural heritages.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com