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Kamloops News

CUNNINGHAM: Why I support a rainbow crosswalk

Vernon City Coun. Juliette Cunningham
October 28, 2016 - 12:30 PM

OPINION


Editor,

A young man from our community came as a delegation to Vernon city council with a request for a rainbow crosswalk. He was accompanied by numerous supporters and also brought 32 letters of support. 

The rainbow symbol as a crosswalk has been adopted by many as a Universal Symbol of community diversity and related awareness. I was especially impressed by the thoughtful presentation where he suggested our rainbow be made up of eight colours representing a wide spectrum of meaning. 

Showing a rainbow flag in our community is particularly important to me because those identifying as LGBTQ are still targets for bullying, harassment and stigmatization. The rate of suicide among this cohort is four times higher than in the straight population. At the heart of the symbolism is that Vernon citizens should feel safe to be who they are regardless of their ethnicity, religion or sexual identity. 

My stance is consistent with my values and beliefs that we all matter in our community. 

The message is pretty simple: tolerance, acceptance, empathy and understanding. 

Juliette Cunningham
Vernon City Councillor


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News from © iNFOnews, 2016
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