'Honour everyone': City adds transgender colours to crosswalks

The crosswalks at one of Charlottetown's busiest intersections are looking a lot morecolourful.

The city has painted them for the first timein the pink, blue and white coloursrepresenting the transgender community.

Fourcrosswalks have been painted at the corners of Queen and Grafton streetsas the province gets ready to celebrate 25 years of pride on P.E.I.

"The city has supported us other years with doing the pride flag colours, which we super appreciate as well," saidAndrea MacPhersonof Pride P.E.I.

"This year we really wanted to try and spread that diversity a bit, show the pride flag colours and trans flag colours and just bring more acknowledgement that pride is more than just the lesbian, gay and bi communities that trans individuals are on the Island and they need representation as well."

'It represents visibility'

Advocates say painting the crosswalks in pride and transgender colours is an important statement for the cityto show support for the LGBTQ community.

"It represents allyship, it represents visibility," said Daniel Boudreau, chair of Pflag Canada P.E.I.

"It's a great opportunity for education."

MacPhersonsaidthe crossings areimportant symbols of human rights and gender diversity and hopes they will get people to ask questions.

"There are other people in this world who are different than us," MacPhersonsaid.

"Everyone deserves the right to be happy, to find love and to have all the rights that every Canadianand everyone in the worlddeserves."

'Celebrate and honour everyone'

"It is just the right thing," added Coun.Alanna Jankov.

"Everyone has the right to love who they want and be who they want and be expressive and be free and safe. I'm just proud to be part of a city that's so inclusive."

The painted crossings will remain for the restof the summer.

P.E.I.'sPride Paradeis set for July 27 and organizers say it's going to be the largest ever.

"We've got more events than we've had other years," MacPherson said. "Love comes in all shapes, all forms and we want to celebrate and honour everyone."

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