Crossing furore ‘bittersweet’
‘‘It’s not the end of the campaign, it’s the beginning of one.’’ Aimee Borlase,
Nelson Pride organiser
Members of the LGBTQIA+ community say they are cautiously optimistic about Nelson’s rainbow crossing, pending further concrete support.
Q-Youth manager Jasmine Turner said that when the announcement was first made, she thought it was a great supportive symbol, but every silver lining came with its cloud.
‘‘We love that there’s a crossing coming, but there’s a lot of upset and hurt as well,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s a bittersweet feeling.’’
Turner said it had been heartening to see the supportive comments, donations, and chalk messages, but there were more direct ways to show support.
‘‘We’ve got the first Pride Week in Nelson coming up, so now is the perfect time.’’
Turner said there were some promising signs. In the leadup to the decision and since its announcement, Q-Youth had been approached by more than one Nelson City councillor, wanting to keep the community in the loop or to find out more about the LGBTQIA+ community.
Q-Youth co-ordinator Zen Stefani also said the symbol was good, but needed to be backed up by action.
‘‘People think it’s cool, but people are hesitant about it because it might end up being just an empty gesture,’’ they said.
‘‘People often don’t have the time to get really invested in thinking about this sort of thing, because they’ve got their own lives and they’re dealing with this sort of thing every day.’’
Nelson Pride organiser Aimee Borlase said her initial response to the crossing was one of caution for exactly that reason, but over time she had warmed to it.
‘‘I’m really excited about the crossing, after seeing both the negative and the positive reactions. I’m very wary of these sorts of things being just the gesture. This is more about a pledge: it’s not the end of the campaign, it’s the beginning of one.’’
She said that in a way the crossing, had done exactly what it was intended to do: raised awareness in the community of the existence of LGBTQIA+ people in Nelson and the homophobic attitudes they could face.
‘‘It’s very easy, when you’re in your own progressive bubble and you have straight privilege, to not realise. You can’t know what it’s like until you’ve walked in someone else’s shoes.
‘‘It really has raised awareness, you know: we’re here, we’re queer, and we’re in Nelson.’’
Borlase said that while Nelson Pride was in many ways more of a social group than an events one, this year it would be throwing its first Pride Week from April 14 to 20 to coincide with the Nelson City Council’s heritage festival.
The event, running from Wednesday to Tuesday, will include speakers talking about the history and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in Nelson, to match the heritage festival, and other events like Drag Bingo, family picnic days, and open mic nights.
Donations towards the event can be made via the Pride Week’s Givealittle page, givealittle.co.nz/ cause/supporting-nelson-prideweek.