I think that the Springdale town council, perhaps especially in the person of the mayor as casting a deciding vote, was not only within its rights but acted quite rightly in deciding not to have a crosswalk painted in the colours of a rainbow as requested by LGBT students at a school in the town.
Crosswalks are meant for the protection, from motorized traffic, of all pedestrians equally — they are not meant for the celebration of particular pedestrians on the basis of “this is who they are,” which appears to be chiefly the basis on which LGBT persons seem to claim to celebrate their diverse orientations.
Related story:
IN-DEPTH: A town divided — Springdale ponders the question of inclusion
Deference to persons on the basis of personality has no place in public life, and it is with public life, at the local level, that municipal councils are concerned.
Vituperation from celebrities in reply to this argument — which I believe the mayor of Springdale has already presented if not in exactly those words — does not refute this argument and is indeed hardly an attempt at rebutting it.
Colin Burke
Port au Port
