CELEBRATING PRIDE
Emily Ophus and Blake Spence walk with their dogs Lola and Basil at the pride flag crosswalk at Mcdougall Road and 9th Street N.E., painted Sunday. Meanwhile, police are investigating recent vandalism that occurred at two similar crosswalks downtown.
Repeat vandalism of downtown Calgary LGBTQ pride crosswalks should trigger deeper support for the minority community, a leading activist said Monday.
Two separate graffiti attacks on rainbow crosswalks last week — the most recent one on Sunday being a misspelled violent and homophobic phrase — should be met with a greater volunteer turnout for Pride Week, which begins Friday, said Calgary Pride executive director Parker Chapple.
“These people that hate, who are homophobic and transphobic, they’re willing to take action and the only real response is to support our community,” said Chapple.
“People are always asking me if we still need Pride Week … This draws attention to why we have Pride Week, to present to the community to get allies.”
The vandalism highlights what members of the LGBTQ community regularly encounter, but has further heightened fear, said Chapple.
“The reality is, this is an example of what our community is facing every day; it’s a very visual and public example,” she said.
“There’s violence, discrimination … My own son is transgender and is terrified of going into public washrooms.”
The vandalism began at 4:15 a.m. last Wednesday when city police said surveillance video captured a person dressed in a white hard hat and construction clothing set up orange road cones and a road closed sign at Stephen Avenue and Centre Street.
There, the individual defaced with spray paint the pride and transgender crosswalks, leaving the words “lust” and “lost.”
Police say that person stopped a motorist who tried to turn onto Stephen Avenue and might have also been seen by a jogger and several passing taxi drivers. They’re hoping to speak to those witnesses.
It’s believed Sunday’s vandalism, also captured on video, was committed by a different suspect.
“These acts of vandalism are committed by cowards who do not have the courage to stand behind their words,” said Sgt. Craig Collins of the Calgary police hate crimes unit. “I challenge them to come forward and take responsibility for their actions.
“We’re not going to stand for hate and bias.”
The initial graffiti attack, he said, appeared well-planned, with passersby likely thinking it was legitimate work taking place.
If caught, the offenders would face an offence of mischief to property, possibly joined by a hate bias charge “that could lead to an increase in the sentence,” said Collins.
Any further vandalism attempts on the crosswalks, he said, will be well-covered by a battery of existing cameras at that intersection.
“If you go and damage those crosswalks, you might as well look up and smile at the cameras,” he said.
Reported hate incidents against the LGBTQ community are holding steady in their numbers, but Collins said some victims are likely not coming to police.
“I recognize there’s still a lot of mistrust in the community, for the community coming forward,” he said.
Chapple said the LGBTQ community won’t be intimidated by the vandalism and will continue to stand behind the rainbow crosswalks.
“We’re an incredibly resilient community and we’ll continue to champion change,” she said.
In the meantime, another pride crosswalk has been placed at Mcdougall Road and 9th Street N.E. by the Bridgeland-riverside Community Association, which says it’ll both promote tolerance and slow down motorists.
The marquee event of Calgary Pride Week, the downtown parade, will be held Sept. 1.