Rainbow Crosswalk
The Story
At the inception of Westport Pride, discussions about a potential Rainbow Crosswalk began with the Town of Westport. The goal being to create a visible and permanent symbol to show that all members of the LGBTQ+ community are welcome in Westport.
Working closely with the Selectwoman’s office and The Department of Public Works, a temporary Rainbow Crosswalk was approved in May of 2023 by the Board of Selectwomen to be installed for Pride Month (June) at the intersection of Jesup Road and Taylor Place. The installation was funded by the generosity of Dr. Nikki Gorman and Galia Gichon, members of Westport’s LGBTQ+ community.
Met with the overwhelming support of the greater Westport community, the Board of Selectwomen voted unanimously in June 2023 to approve a permanent crosswalk at the same location. The agreement with the Town is that the materials and installation would be completely funded by donations and that maintenance of the crosswalk would be managed by the Town going forward.
The Design
Designed by Brian McGunagle, the crosswalk is made up of 21 panels, and references the evolution of the Rainbow Pride Flag. The original Rainbow Pride Flag was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978, at the request of Harvey Milk who was looking for a new symbol for the LGBTQ+ community to replace the pink triangle used by Nazi’s in World War II. In 2017, Daniel Quasar created the Progress Pride Flag built upon Baker’s original design by introducing the chevron pattern to the Baker Rainbow Flag to represent the Transgender and BIPOC communities. In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti added the yellow chevron and purple ring to the Quasar design to symbolize Intersex inclusion.
The crosswalk is made of a durable product called DecoMark, a thermoplastic material, which is heat fused to the pavement. DecoMark has been used by the Town of Westport on all of its new crosswalks and has a life expectancy of up to 10 years.
Click image to enlarge
The Campaign
The Rainbow Crosswalk project, a result of a years-long collaboration between the Town of Westport and Westport Pride, has been made possible by the generous contributions of nearly 40 individuals, families, and local businesses from all walks of life. Their unwavering support has demonstrated the unity and commitment of our community towards embracing diversity. The estimated crosswalk materials, labor and installation will cost $30,500. Westport Pride was able to fully fund and exceed this campaign target within three days of launch!
Sponsors
The Rainbow Crosswalk project, a result of a years-long collaboration between the Town of Westport and Westport Pride, has been made possible by the generous contributions of nearly 40 individuals, families, and local businesses from all walks of life. Their unwavering support has demonstrated the unity and commitment of our community towards embracing diversity.
