Hundreds of volunteers and well-wishers stopped by outside of city hall Tuesday to lay a new coat of paint on the Pride Crosswalk to help kick off pride month in Grande Prairie
Grande Prairie Pride Society Co-President Jonathan Clarkson said with the annual paint job, comes an army of volunteers to show their support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the Peace Country.
“The support grows every year,” Clarkson said. “We get about 150 people throughout the day, rolling paint with us; I don’t think I’ve rolled paint in three years because we get so much support,” he laughs.
However, Clarkson says it’s a bit of a far cry from the first crosswalk painting nearly a decade ago. He said not only does helping run events like this, and other Pride festivities comes a sense of accomplishment, it adds to the ever growing feeling of a community which, for many, never thought would be a reality.
“I’ve grown up in Grande Prairie, I didn’t come out until I was 32, and it was because I didn’t think I would be accepted.”
“Looking at the strides we’ve made over the last few years, when Pride began in 2015 when we painted the first crosswalk to where we are today, with the awesome turnout, it shows me our community is growing, changing and the citizens are more diverse, inclusive and welcoming, and I think that’s what this is all about.”
The community Pride Crosswalk painting is the first of several Pride Month events slated around Grande Prairie throughout the month of June, and you can find more details on the Grande Prairie Pride Society website.
