Celebrities roast town for rejecting rainbow crosswalk

Prominent Newfoundlanders are criticizing a town’s rejection of a rainbow crosswalk sought by a high school group as a show of support for the LGBTQ community.

Comedian Mark Critch and former Great Big Sea members Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett offered support for the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at Indian River High School after Springdale, N.L., town council reportedly voted 4-3 against the crosswalk.

“If you’re a LBGTQ kid in Springdale, please know that there are a whole lot of people in Newfoundland and Labrador that support you,” tweeted Critch, anchor of CBC’s “This Hour Has 22 Minutes.” “Inclusion never divides. Your mayor is being a tool. You’re awesome.”

Doyle, a successful solo artist and best-selling author, responded to Critch’s tweet saying “Yes. Yes. And Yes.”

Hallett, a St. John’s restaurateur, said he was “half tempted to drive out to Springdale and paint the crosswalk” himself in a tweet Friday morning.

The Norwester newspaper reported that the GSA had asked that a crosswalk near the school could be painted in support of the LGBTQ community.

Springdale town councillors refused to comment Friday. But the school’s GSA issued a writ- ten statement via email that the council’s rejection of its April 9 request isn’t the end of the story.