Pride colours like 鈥渟port teams”
The Taylor Square rainbow crossing is at risk of removal after the state roads minister made comments suggesting the state government will not seek to override the crossing鈥檚 scheduled removal at the end of the month.
In a response to a question on the crossing鈥檚 status from Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann, Nationals MP Duncan Gay raised the issue of road safety and compared the LGBTI community鈥檚 use of the rainbow as an emblem with the colours of a football team.
鈥淲hen you approve something in a colour, you approve a political statement and if you allow colours for one thing, you leave yourself open for many others. Well-known sporting teams may want a crossing as well 鈥� we could have red and green for the Rabbitohs, maybe,鈥� Gay joked.
鈥淚鈥檓 not saying that it鈥檚 wrong to have a political statement for Mardi Gras, but our key prerequisite is to maintain road safety,鈥� he added.
Gay criticised City of Sydney Council for pushing ahead with the project. Council approved a $35,000 budget hike on the project on the night of February 25 to pay for the crossing鈥檚 removal at the end of March.
鈥淲e approved a rainbow crossing at Oxford Square (sic) as a trial 鈥� I am a generous man. We indicated to the council at the time that we were willing to pay for a rainbow crossing on the footpath, but they didn鈥檛 want to do that and now they鈥檝e decided to blame everyone else but themselves,鈥� Gay said.
Council originally approved the establishment of two permanent rainbow crossings at Taylor Square, but Roads and Maritime Services stipulated that the crossing be temporary.
Faehrmann said Gay鈥檚 comments showed he 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 understand the significance鈥� of the crossing to the LGBTI community.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the minister was being intentionally offensive, but his belittling of the LGBTI community by comparing it to a sporting team disregards the battles hard-fought for equality on Oxford St. The rainbow crossing is about more than pretty colours on the road 鈥� it鈥檚 about celebrating and supporting this diverse and resilient community,鈥� Faehrmann said.
Gay has referred any decisions on the crossing to the NSW Centre for Road Safety.
A by independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich has hit 10,000 signatures.
