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LGBTQ Group Petitions For Permanent Rainbow Crosswalks In NYC
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jun 19, 2017
Modified Jun 19, 2017
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jun 19, 2017
Modified Jun 19, 2017
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Crosswalks in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and (soon) West Hollywood have been bedazzled with rainbows in celebration of their cities' LGBTQ communities, and New York might be next—an LGBT activist group launched a petition over the weekend asking for the city to install permanent rainbow and trans pride crosswalks, and as of today it has over 14,000 signatures.
The petition, launched by the group Care2, calls on Mayor de Blasio to install permanent versions of the crosswalks, which first adorned 36th Street and 5th Avenue and on Christopher Street near the Stonewall Inn during last year's Pride Parade. "LGBTQ individuals face a number of challenging issues in our society: housing discrimination, medical gatekeeping, and higher rates of bullying, murder and suicide," Tim Robinson, Care2's director of business development and the petition's author, wrote. "My husband and I would love to see our daughter grow up in a city that is compassionate enough to signal to marginalized communities that they are supported."
The nation's capital got temporary rainbow crosswalks for their Pride Parade and celebration last weekend, also thanks to a petition launched by a transgender resident. Atlanta will get a permanent rainbow crosswalk in its midtown area this month in memory of those killed at Pulse nightclub in Orlando last year as well as in celebration of the city's LGBT residents, also thanks to a Care2 petition. And officials in Los Angeles say West Hollywood will get permanent rainbow crosswalks by the end of October.
Robinson told the NY Post he hopes the city will install the crosswalks near the Stonewall Inn, considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ movement, and in Chelsea. "It’s amazing how something so small can make you feel positive and safe," he told the tabloid. "New York City should stand proud and show the world that it supports its LGBT community."
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