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On Wednesday, July 24, the crosswalk on Souris Avenue East, in front of Carlyle Elementary School, received a colourful facelift in the form of a PRIDE rainbow. The project was spearheaded by Jade Moore, who felt that it was important that Carlyle be inclusive and more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.
When she first approached the town council, Moore had posed three possible locations: the Elementary School, the High School, or Souris Avenue at Main Street.听 Since the street in front of the High School is slated for repaving and Souris at Main could pose traffic issues during the prepping, painting and drying, the Elementary School was agreed upon.
The rainbow itself represents different things to different people.听 To the LGBTQ+ community each colour has meaning. Red = life, orange = healing, yellow = sun, green = nature, blue = harmony, and purple = spirit. To Christians it represents a covenant between God and the Earth. To paraphrase Genesis 9:12 in the Message, when a rainbow appears in the cloud, it is a symbol to remind God and His people that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. To some it reminds them of Judy Garland鈥檚 rendition of 鈥淪omewhere Over the Rainbow鈥�, others think of leprechauns and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The rainbow crosswalk most definitely has sparked conversations, and perhaps led people to explore their beliefs and feelings, while giving equal consideration to others opinions and their equal rights to hold them.
Whatever the rainbow means to you, there is one thing most of us could agree on.听 The rainbow crosswalk can and should be a reminder to just BE KIND!
