The Cumberland Town Council on Monday voted in favor of painting a crosswalk with a rainbow pallet of colors in support of Pride Month.
According to a May 29 memo to the Town Council from Cumberland Town Manager William Shane, the move comes as a result of two years of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training for town staff, which led to the staff reaching out to local churches to “discuss how the Town can be more active and involved in Pride Month.”
The cost of the rainbow crosswalk, which will be located at the intersection of Tuttle Road and Main Street in Cumberland, was estimated by Shane to be an additional $800.
[RELATED: South Portland Set to Spend Over $1,500 Painting Crosswalks Rainbow for Pride Month…]
During the Monday evening meeting, Cumberland Town Council Chair Mark Segrist said that several people and organizations had come to the town asking them to do something in support of Pride Month.
As the painting of the crosswalk constitutes “governmental speech,” it had to first be authorized by the elected Cumberland Town Councilors, Segrist said, adding that he had discussed the matter with the town attorney.
The Councilors proceeded to hear about 40 minutes of public comment on the rainbow crosswalk.
Pasha Marlowe, a Cumberland resident and mental health professional, said that painting the crosswalk with rainbow colors could be “lifesaving.”
“I think it’s actually lifesaving,” Marlowe said. “I think there’s research that shows that showing representation for somebody’s identity and somebody’s truth can be lifesaving.”
“Thirty percent of Gen Z identifies in the LGBTQ umbrella, and I think thirty percent of kids in our town are worth $800 for a crosswalk,” she added.
[RELATED: Falmouth Teacher Lectured Elementary Schooler on “Misgendering” Non-Binary Peer: Emails…]
Two young students from Mabel I. Wilson Elementary and Greely Middle School also spoke in support of painting the crosswalk during the public comment portion.
One of the students said that the school’s civil rights team — a program overseen by the Maine Attorney General’s Office — has been painting rainbow pride flags to put up around the school.
“We hope that everyone in the LGBTQIA+ feels like they are a part of this town,” one student said. “Thank you and happy pride!” the two students concluded in unison, a statement which was followed by applause from several of the Town Councilors and those present at the meeting.
Town Councilor Tig Filson, who was wearing a rainbow-colored heart pin, said that she is “so proud and overcome” to have the painting of the rainbow crosswalk on the agenda.
“I think that it’s a unique opportunity to show that we not only put out a statement, but we will take that extra step to put that symbol there, because I think the symbol really matters,” Filson said.
Councilor Shirley Storey-King, a retired Greely Middle School teacher, began her statements on the proposed crosswalk painting by affirming that “every person in Cumberland is welcome,” and that “every person is valued.”
Storey-King then presented a rainbow-colored “coexist” bumper sticker and rainbow “wind sock,” both of which she said had been in her classroom for almost 20 years.
“I’m not anti-anything,” Storey-King said. “I choose to lead by example, not legislation — and that’s where this has been the rub for me. I have no interest in further polarizing the community.”
“To be totally honest, I worry that when we put forth agendas like this, we cause someone the same sort of shame that the people who are being represented have been experiencing,” she continued. “There’s a certain paradox to that.”
Storey-King explained that she would be abstaining from voting on the proposal, opting for what she called the Buddhist “middle path.”
Council Chair Segrist concluded the public comment portion by speaking in favor of the proposal, saying that he believes “everyone’s view on this issue is coming from a place of inclusion and respect,” but that there are differences when it comes to how the Council can make Cumberland “a more inclusive place to live.”
“The painting of a crosswalk the color of a rainbow is such a small and simple gesture to show how much we as a community support and celebrate diversity within our town, and welcome people from all walks of life, even if their path may seem different than our own,” Segrist said.
The Cumberland Town Council voted 4-0 in favor painting the crosswalk rainbow, with three councilors abstaining from voting.
Councilors Storey-King, Ronald Copp, Jr., and Michael Edes abstained from the vote.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="28369 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=28369">17 Comments
Climate change deniers! Petroleum free paint right?
Traffic codes require standards – white paint for fog lines, yellow paint for center lines, Red for stop, yellow for caution… etc… Even the colors are strictly standardized. When a person is truck by a vehicle in a rainbow crosswalk hopefully a lawyer will go after the municipalities that allow this foolishness.
First the porn books in the library, now this nonsense to step-by-step destroy the traditional nuclear family. I get the feeling the next proposal will be to normalize pedophilia by these freaks.
Pretty sad that some people allow a flag to determine what they are. Foe people who say they want to be treated the same as everyone else they sure do not act it.
Kramer Doesn’t Want To Wear The Ribbon (youtube.com)
Wasting taxpayer dollars to represent morally offensive behavior; no wonder this next generation is so screwed up.
Lunacy reigns supreme! How does one’s personal sexual preference entitle an entire month of celebration, including rainbow flags hoisted above the American flag AND now rainbow crosswalks? When will we have an entire month dedicated to our veterans who fought so bravely to defend our constitution and preserve our freedoms?
WHY?
Another Southern Maine town in which not to spend my time nor my money.
When is white heterosexual month?
There are standards for painting cross walks so the drivers recognize that they are cross walks, the town is legally responsible if people don’t recognize they are cross walks. This is a waste of the taxpayers money for something silly and unnecessary.
OHH WHAT AWASTE OF MONEY! IM SURE ALL THE TAXPAYERS WOULD WANT TO SPEND HIER MONRY ON THIS CRAP
Sexual preference? I prefer to call it deviancy pure and simple.They are homosexuals. Let’s use the right terminology. The first thing the leftist commies do is change the words used. By doing so they influence thinking, then the meaning. It’s insidious and sad to say effective as we have seen. Especially in the dumbed down crappy public school system that sways kids to think this way.
I vote we paint her head
Catering to a select group to celebrate a sexual preference. Sad.
We need to educate ourselves on who or what we are electing into leadership positions in our State and importantly our communities. Insanity will surely follow when policies that make sense are put aside in favor of policies that feel good to a select special group..
This has happened in our State government and now my own community is about to be taken over. There exist a highly probable danger of Selectmen being dominated by leftist radicals pushing everything from costly climate change initiatives to painting the streets and now sidewalks in order to accommodate an extremely small population.
The irony is that most of those who identify as Lgbtq simply want to live their lives like everyone else. It’s none of my business how someone chooses to live out their gift of life. Just please stop shoving it down my and my family’s throat. The ones pushing this agenda are not the majority of Lgbtq members who are our neighbors, co-workers and more importantly friends. Are the ones making all the noise actually oppressors who unfortunately are not self aware enough to know it?
This current demand led by a few for more and more attention is turning out to be a very controlling and demanding cult that keeps pushing the unsatisfiable ideology.
It’s literally thrust onto our children while attempting to diminish the traditional family unit. At some point sensible people including members of the LGBTQ will say enough is enough. Do we really want to turn our communities into Candyland?
Educate to know what or who you are voting for! Keep in mind on June 11 and in November that Voting or not Voting has Serious Consequences!
sure lets bend over and take it up the wazoo for .01% of the population. disgusting