Burnaby celebrates Pride after rainbow crosswalk vandalized

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It was supposed to be a symbol of Pride, but the rainbow crosswalk in Burnaby was vandalized with Nazi symbols just hours after it was painted.

Despite that, the community was determined to come together and celebrate Saturday.

The rainbow crosswalk at Jubilee Avenue had been spray painted with Nazi symbols the day before the first pride was to be celebrated in Burnaby.

Organizer Kimberly Barwich says repairs were made by the city but adds security had to be called in to watch the area overnight.

She says despite these setbacks, nothing was going to stop the celebration from happening.

“There are always going to be people who disagree. The issue for me is how they disagree. Defacing something that celebrates the diversity of our community makes me very unhappy. So it was fixed by the City of Burnaby very quickly, but we had to pay for security last night to make sure that it when we came here this morning ready to celebrate, that it would be ready to go. And we did that.”

Many of those who attended the festivities did have a good time taking pictures and posing near the crosswalk, which was created specially for Pride.

Hundreds of people showed up despite the gloomy weather. Barwich says she’s happy with the turnout, especially in a city like Burnaby.

“We were really excited, it was really really important. We thought it was a great time to come together and celebrate this event. I’m very happy, we thought it was going to be a very small event and it’s not. It’s a good size. Burnaby is a very particular community in the Lower Mainland, we have a very large, diverse community. We have a rapidly aging community, and it’s really important to see everyone is represented here. It’s not about your age, your gender or where you come from. It’s about us being together and being inclusive.”

She says the idea for Burnaby’s first pride was brought up four months ago, and planning to make it a reality started two months ago.

She adds though this celebration is a lot smaller than Vancouver, it’s more focused on the locals in the area.

“We are not Vancouver, we are Burnaby and if you have a chance to go to the ones in other communities, this is smaller and it’s more accessible to people in the community. It’s about resources, about what people can find in their own backyards to support them.”

Barwich’s only hope for next year is to see more locals attend next year.

“It’d be even better if we have more community members who want to come together and make this happen. It’s been driven by agencies this time around, it would be nice to see community members who care and want to participate.

As for next year’s plans, Bawich says she’s excited for the future.

“You better believe it’ll be here. Bigger and better.”