Brandon’s first Pride crosswalk unveiled at BU

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This article was published 10/06/2022 (1441 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Serving as a commitment to supporting an equitable, diverse and inclusive campus, Brandon University unveiled its new rainbow Pride crosswalk Friday afternoon.

The ribbon-cutting for the new crosswalk sitting in the heart of the post-secondary marked the beginning of Pride Week on campus and served as affirmation that the university supports and values its LGBTQ+ faculty, students and staff, said Kofi Campbell, Brandon University provost and vice-president (academic).

“Not very long ago, certainly in my own lifetime, this type of installation would have been unthinkable,” Campbell said. “This is a reminder of how far we have come, but the fact that this is the first in Brandon reminds us how far we have to go as well.”

The crosswalk was painted between Harvest Hall and the John E. Robbins Library to ensure it was in a visible and high-traffic area of the campus.

“We wanted to make sure that people would see it. We wanted our commitment to be visible,” Campbell said. “More importantly, we wanted the people to whom that flag speaks the most to be able to see it.”

As part of the Pride festivities, a garden has also been planted outside the campus library, and the school is in the process of establishing a Queer Caucus, which will consist of faculty, staff and students and serve as an advisory board on issues LGBTQ+ people face.

Ensuring the campus is inclusive is a responsibility BU takes seriously, he said. Inclusion, diversity and equity are ingrained in the new strategic plan for the university.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Campbell said. “As a university, it’s part of our responsibility. We recruit students here and it’s our responsibility to ensure they are able to succeed here, be themselves here, that they’re able to participate fully in the life of the institution just by being who they are.”

Many post-secondaries are a “bit behind” in terms of supporting equity, diversity and inclusion, he said, and BU is hoping to hear from faculty, staff and students on what they would like to see happen on campus.

“We want to do it seriously and do it well and do it in a way that benefits our community,” Campbell said.

Aly Wowchuk and Logan Praznik attended the ribbon-cutting of the BU Pride crosswalk on behalf of Brandon Pride.

It was momentous seeing the rainbow crosswalk installed at BU, Wowchuk said, because it is the first permanent symbol of its kind in the city of Brandon.

“It’s about being visible within your community and that Brandon University stepped up and did this, is amazing,” Wowchuk said. “It’s very, very positive.”

Having visibility for LGBTQ+ people within the community ensures they feel included and represented, Wowchuk said.

Praznik described the afternoon as a welcoming and enthusiastic experience.

“Permanent symbols like these matter because it’s something you can see in public as a queer person, as an LGBTQ+ person,” Praznik said.

Praznik graduated from the university in 2019. It was meaningful to see a crosswalk put in place because it is a commitment from his former university that it supports the LGBTQ+ community.

The rainbow crosswalk also serves as a symbol for allies and those who do not normally interact with the queer community because it reminds them that “there are all kinds of people with different stripes out there.”

“I hope the momentum keeps going. I hope it’s one of many things not only in BU but in the wider Brandon community that really puts out there and makes us more visible,” Praznik said.

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