Woman wants Kelowna to remove its rainbow pedestrian crosswalks

When you think of a rainbow, what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s the natural beauty of having one appear among the clouds at the conclusion of a rainy day as the sun pierces through the clouds. Maybe it's those little marshmallows found in a box of Lucky Charms cereal. Or perhaps it's the diversity and strength it exhibits as the universally known symbol of gay pride and the freedom to express one’s sexual orientation.

No matter which way you split it, most people view rainbows as something to embrace. Kelowna, B.C. resident Nancy Enns is not one of those people.

 Just over two weeks ago, rainbow-coloured crosswalks were spotted at the intersection of Pandosy Street and Lawrence Avenue in Kelowna after city workers completed a utilities upgrade at the intersection.

The city of Kelowna put out a press release shortly thereafter letting people know that the rainbow-themed crosswalks were painted as a way of celebrating diversity and followed the trend set out in major cities across the continent including Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle and Philadelphia.

While the province of B.C. is clearly taking a progressive approach to diversity through embracing the initiative, Enns has made it clear she won’t go down without a fight, stating that she’d be willing to go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada in order to get the crosswalks re-painted white.

Enns also went on to say that colours represent a lifestyle that she disapproves of and that the city’s response to her inquiries has been downright insulting.

The fact of the matter is, as much as it would be easy to paint Enns as the ultimate crosswalk villain, there are probably many people in B.C. and around the world that would gladly put up a fight alongside her and express the same view openly.

Although it remains to be seen whether Enns will actually go all the way up the ladder and keep fighting, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in this country is that people have the freedom to express who they are no matter how popular or unpopular they may be.

The ironic thing is, that’s what the rainbow-coloured crosswalks are supposed to represent in the first place.