This rainbow painted dock is located at Dutch Lake on Dutch Lake Drive in Clearwater.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Facebook/ District of Clearwater

A dock in Clearwater that was painted in rainbow colours this month was the trigger for a heated controversy among some local residents, and a petition to have the dock put back to its original state is circulating online.

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly painted dock at Dutch Lake by the District of Clearwater and a local pride group took place on May 15, but not everyone was happy with the new paint job and it has prompted anti-2LGBTQ comments from the community.

Kalen Jones is the executive director of Valley Pride Society, a group of residents that work to make the community more inclusive, and the organization behind the rainbow dock.

“A lot of people are complaining about the aesthetic, that you can’t get a picture of the lake without the rainbow in it,” he said. “Some people didn’t know the story behind it and some thought the district paid for the whole thing.”

Jones has been receiving anti-2LGTBQ hate comments on his social media posts.

“There are definitely homophobic comments being made on social media, that the rainbow is going to make people’s children gay,” he said. “One is about pedophilia but honestly, there are so many comments I don’t have time to read them all. I don’t need to know and I don’t need to agree with people’s opinions.”

Jones grew up in the town in the 1990s.

“It wasn’t OK to be LGTBQ at that time and coming out was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I didn’t want anyone else to have to go through that. In 2022 I put a pride flag up on Canada Day and someone took it down. I thought we were a lot more accepting.”

That same year he formed the Valley Pride Society and sent a delegation to city council where he shared a bit about his coming out story.

“I asked if they supported diversity in our community and they said yes,” he said. “We’ve been working with the district to get visual inclusivity projects put around town. In this small town there wasn’t visual inclusivity.”

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Jones said he first proposed a rainbow crosswalk and the society was approved for two grants to go towards it through the Thompson Nicola Regional District and Wells Gray Community Forest Society. Someone in the district proposed a painted dock instead as it would be cheaper and faster, and an agreement was made with part of the cost coming from the district.

The first length of the dock at Dutch Lake is now painted in bright rainbow colours. Located in the city on Dutch Lake Drive, the lake is a popular place to swim for locals and tourists, just a quick drive from Highway 5.

“The dock is an iconic part of Clearwater and huge for tourism, so it means a lot being where it is and for the reason it’s there,” Jones said. “It’s a big way for the district, mayor, council and staff to publicly make a statement that they support diversity in our community.”

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When asked for comment on the backlash coming from the community on the rainbow painting, Clearwater mayor Merlin Blackwell said people can say what they want on Facebook.

“Council is unanimous on the dock and support of the pride community in Clearwater,” Blackwell said. “It’s unfortunate the way it has gone and we hope hearts will prevail and people will reconsider their hostility and think about it for awhile.”

Clearwater resident Rachel Asker started a petition to get the dock put back to its original state.

"This petition is about a poorly chosen natural location for bright non-natural decoration," she said. "It is about making sure that all residents in Clearwater and the surrounding area have a voice in how their local landmarks and natural areas are altered."

Asker said the petition is still open and will be shared with the district at a date of the district's choosing. 

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