In response to ‘Delegation wants Mission to proclaim Pride Week’ posted on the Mission Record website on Aug. 1, 2018:
I have been reading a lot lately about different cities and towns in BC who have installed Rainbow Crosswalks and are now experiencing vandalism to these symbols of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Queer) Community. It is said that the intent of these symbols is to express a community’s inclusiveness and diversity. In my opinion, what these symbols actually do is provide an outlet for the haters and bigots to express their true feelings of intolerance and hatred towards those communities.
The first Rainbow crosswalk that was installed in Canada, was in Davie Village in the West End of Vancouver. Davie Village has been known as being a hub for the LGBTQ community and ground zero for all things Gay in Vancouver and the rest of BC for decades. I remember how cool it was to see the symbol of Gay Pride installed in the heart of the Vancouver LGBTQ Community. It was big news around North America and became an attraction for tourists in Vancouver. The 2nd Rainbow crosswalk in BC was installed on Columbia Street in New Westminster right in front of the Heritage Grill and other businesses well known for their openness to the Queer Community with drag shows and other LGBTQ themed events including New West Pride. This crosswalk was installed as an initiative of the New West Business Community who had a desire to attract the LGBTQ Community to the area and to acknowledge the fact that a large number of queers were moving to New West and developing a thriving community and culture there. It made sense that these symbols were installed, and they became attractions in those areas known to be home to large, organized queer communities.
And then it began, and now it seems, like nearly every city in BC has either installed a rainbow crosswalk or lobbied their local government to fly the Gay Pride flag at their city hall. It seems like today, if a community does not have a rainbow crosswalk, it was seen to be evidence that the community is not inclusive. That if the city does not fly the rainbow pride flag at its City Hall, that for some reason that shows exclusion or even bigotry on the part of the local government. In my opinion, this is just wrong.
A few years back, there was some talk of a rainbow crosswalk being installed in Mission. There was an idea that because of businesses like The Stage, and with ‘all the queers moving to Mission’ that there was a need to paint a rainbow on 1st Ave to show just how inclusive Mission really is. My reaction was to say that Mission didn’t need a rainbow crosswalk to prove it is inclusive and in fact, if the only way we could demonstrate what a wonderfully open and diverse city Mission is was to paint a rainbow on the road, then we weren’t really inclusive at all.
You see, from my perspective, Mission already is a model community for inclusivity and diversity… without a crosswalk, a rainbow flag, or a proclamation by city council supporting Pride. The Fraser Valley Youth Society has been running a drop-in for queer youth in Mission for about 20 years; there have been and continue to be many queer individuals who hold leadership roles in Mission IE political candidates, non-profit executive directors, business leaders, service club leaders, etc; The Stage was established as an inclusive venue 4 years ago with monthly drag shows and other queer themed events; Mission has a huge presence at Fraser Valley Pride in Abbotsford including many of the organizing committee who live in Mission; the current and former executive directors of the FVYS have lived or are currently living in Mission; and it goes on and on and on. And Yes, there have been many queer people who have moved to Mission in the past decade from all over because they had heard what a great community Mission is – NOT because there is a rainbow crosswalk or because city council has proclaimed it to be so!
If we really want to show how inclusive Mission is, then let’s BE inclusive! Let’s create safe spaces like bars, and coffee shops, and youth groups, and meet ups… and the queer community will see this, and they will come! From the beginning, we at The Stage recognized that a GAY BAR in Mission was not a good idea, but that what Mission wanted was an Inclusive & Safe Space for Everyone! A place where Everyone feels Welcome. Where anyone can feel comfortable to get on stage in drag, or sing karaoke, or dance with people of the same sex or be affectionate with their spouse in public… with out the fear of rejection, or ridicule, and without feeling like they must worry about being bashed or physically assaulted. Where Gays and Straights, Men & Women… Everyone… feels welcome and IS welcome. They said it would never work and that we couldn’t do it in Mission… at the Bellevue! But we did! And the FVYS started running queer drop ins in Mission 20 years ago… and several Mission businesses have decorated their windows for Pride for the past few years. You see in Mission, we just ARE inclusive. We don’t need to fly a flag or paint a rainbow on the street or have city council proclaim it - because we LIVE it, we embrace diversity, and we create Inclusive Spaces! Mission Community Services Society has even recently launched a campaign called #AllAreWelcomeHere with the support of major corporate institutions.
I am sure there are many in the queer community in Mission who would think it would be cool to see a rainbow crosswalk on 1st Ave or to see the Pride Flag flying at City Hall, but what I don’t see or hear, is a large number of gays clamouring to have these symbols of gay pride erected in Mission. The queer population in Mission is increasing rapidly. Opportunities and Safe Spaces for the LGBTQ community are popping up all over town, and nobody is protesting for or against. Nobody is vandalizing a crosswalk or protesting over a flag, because in Mission, our symbols of inclusion and diversity are the people who live their lives in harmony with everybody else and are comfortable to be true to themselves.
Want to polarize the community? Want to expose the bigots and the haters by giving them an outlet to express their ignorant ideas? Then by all means… lobby your local government to make proclamations, to paint rainbows on the road, and fly the rainbow flag at City Hall. Then we will see how inclusive Mission really is!
Cory Cassel
Former general manager of The Stage
Currently on hiatus in Japan with his husband