AIRDRIE, – After nearly six months since the last incident, a homophobic message was spray-painted across the Airdrie Pride Society's (APS) rainbow pathway at Nose Creek Regional Park.
APS learned about the incident around noon on April 7 and quickly alerted both the local RCMP and the City of Airdrie.
“This is the fourth time this has happened, we've almost developed a routine around this,” said Tammy Plunkett, one of APS’s board members. “We typically let the RCMP and City of Airdrie know and they are going to pressure wash it tomorrow morning to clean all the dirt off and hopefully get some of the writing off.”
APS will then schedule to repaint the pathway that was initially painted following their inaugural pride festival in 2019.
Plunkett said the messages are hateful and hurt LGBTQ2S+ youth, children, and adults who have yet to come out to their friends and family.
“When they see [these messages] it scares them. They aren't able to move forward and ask for support and help,” Plunkett said.
According to Plunkett, the organization is aware that this vandalism is being done by a small group of people, as they know the majority of Airdrie residents have been very welcoming to the LGBTQ2S+ community.
In response to the message that dismissed transgender individuals, Plunkett said those who agree with such messages need to realize non-binary identities are valid.
“They are actual human beings who lead wonderful lives. They have jobs, they go to school, they get married, they have children, they are amazing human beings,” she said. “Saying that they don't exist by grafiti-ing it on a rainbow pathway isn't going to change that trans people exist.”
APS offers several support groups in the community of Airdrie. Plunkett runs a parenting with pride group, offering support to parents of LGBTQ2S+ children, teens, and young adults, while another group called PRISM offers support to local teenagers of the community. Via a partnership with the Airdrie Public Library, there is also a book club focused on queer topics.
Community coffee events and community nights offer another venue for the LGBTQ2S+ community to gather.
“We're a place for the community to gather and come together,” Plunkett said. “One of our driving principals is that you don't have to leave Airdrie to find the queer community and that you can find your community in your city.”
The recent vandalism is just another incident that stokes a fire for APS members, she said. “We need to be proud and loud and to show up and demand our right to be seen and heard in Airdrie.”
Similar messages were painted across the walk multiple times in June 2020 and again in October 2021.
The timing of the incidents in 2020 was significant, as June is recognized as Pride Month both internationally and locally.
Airdrie City council declared June as Pride Month earlier in 2020 and the City celebrates the LGBTQ2S+ community throughout the month.
On June 26, 2020, a black tar-like substance covered with white feathers was reported on the pathway after the pathway was repainted just a week prior.
At the time, APS stated that repainting the walkway costs the group $300 each time, taking away from the programming offered in the community.
