Rainbow crossing brings colour to Patrick Street for Cork Pride
Crossing Morning Pride Dunnes Flag: Progress The Brown Adorning Thomas And This Between The Stores
The weather's been good, and Cork Pride is on the horizon - so what better time to give Patrick Street a dash of colour - and mark the lives and contributions of Cork's LGBT* community to the city?
People making their way to Cork's main thoroughfare this morning will be among the first to see a freshly-painted rainbow crossing on Pana, at the lights between Dunnes Stores' flagship and the local branch of Brown Thomas.
Pride in Cork tonight! Rebel city, Rainbow city, proud to have rainbow crossings. 🌈. Delighted to partner with @CorkLGBTweek to make this happen with the support of @corkcitycouncil #rainbowcrossings 🏳️🌈#togetherandproud pic.twitter.com/UFvDt1Ab99
— Cork LGBT+ Pride (@corkpride) July 19, 2022
The crossing depicts the current 'progress' Pride flag, an intersectional update to the long-established symbol of LGBT* acceptance, first seen at the historic Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969. It includes:
- dashes of blue, pink and white in reference to the transgender community
- black and brown to mark the current and historic struggles of people of colour around the world
- a purple circle on a yellow background, an acknowledgement of the intersex community
The new flag is an overarching symbol that struggle and a desire for change are the same across communities.
The permanent installation was first proposed by Labour Cllr John Maher and An Rabharta Glas Cllr Lorna Bogue in 2019, in line with a proposal from Cork Gay Project's Pádraig Rice, and a team from Cork City Council was on hand last night to lay down the new markings.
The crossing is in situ in time for Cork Pride 2022, happening July 23 to July 31, with a host of events to celebrate the first in-person Pride since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, including gigs from Nadine Coyle, The Cheeky Girls, and stars of RuPaul's Drag Race; a family day at Fitzgerald's Park; and a tour of Cork with Cork LGBT* Archive.