'Welcoming arms to everybody': Aurora officially opens rainbow crosswalk

'An exciting moment in time': Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas on York Region's first rainbow crosswalk

Yorkregion.com
August 21, 2020

As drivers honked and pedestrians waved, Aurora’s rainbow crosswalk officially opened Aug. 20.

"It’s absolutely amazing to see this in the Town of Aurora," Tristan Coolman, president of Pflag (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) York Region, said.

"It’s overwhelming. It’s one thing to walk around downtown Toronto and see all that, but for it to be in your community, I never thought I’d see something like this when I was a kid growing up. It’s very emotional."

Marie Morton, executive director of CAYR Community Connections, formerly the AIDS Committee of York Region, was also impressed.

"I think it’s a fantastic, very visible statement of inclusivity and equity and that building-community piece," she said.

"To have a really visible symbol like this, it’s like welcoming arms to everybody."

Coolman and Morton’s groups are campaigning to have every municipality in the region install a rainbow crosswalk or similar symbol.

Mayor Tom Mrakas called the crosswalk opening a "historic" day for the community.

"It’s an exciting moment in time and in the history of the Town of Aurora; not only the Town of Aurora, but also York Region," he said. "We are the first municipality in all of York Region that has a rainbow crosswalk.

"What better messaging in today’s world than to say our town is welcoming and accepting of all?"

The crosswalk has had its moments of controversy.

It cost $12,000 to install, which was offset by a $10,000 last-minute anonymous donation. A standard crosswalk costs $8,000.

Meanwhile, former mayor Evelyn Buck was accused of making offensive comments about the crosswalk.

Mrakas expects the community will embrace the crosswalk now that it’s here.

"I think you don’t dwell on the minority of negative comments," he said. "You dwell on the overwhelming majority of positive comments.

"That’s exactly what this is. It’s a positive step in our town in saying how inclusive and welcoming we are of all."

Coolman agreed.

"There’s always going to be that small segment of Aurora and that small segment in every community that’s not going to embrace it," he said.

"I think our goal should be to find what’s common among us all."

Rainbows are a meaningful symbol in other groups and religions beyond the LGBTQ community, he said.