- Nic F. Anderson
Stepping into Pride Month: Boystown’s Rainbow Colored Crosswalks
Rainbow Crosswalks in Capitol Hill" by Seattle Department of Transportation is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Chicago’s Lakeview “gayborhood,” Boystown, is getting a makeover right before Pride Fest on June 22 and 23, announced the Northalsted Business Alliance.
There will be 14 rainbow crosswalks installed along Halsted and will be from thermoplastic polyurethane.
Northalsted Business Alliance officials reported to the Chicago Tribune that the $60,000 cost for the crosswalks were covered by their own funding and private donations from Northalsted’s Market Days and previous Pride Fest activites.
Chicago isn’t the first to do this; there are more than 100 other U.S. cities with rainbow crosswalks in their “gayborhoods” such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.
“Thirteen of the crosswalks feature the rainbow design that’s been a symbol of the worldwide LGBTQ+ pride movement since the 1970s, and the 14th crosswalk at Melrose is dedicated to the transgender community with blue, pink and white stripes found on the transgender flag,” said Ald. James Cappleman (46th) to CBS local news.
Boystown current boasts 20 pylons with rainbow stripes marking the “Legacy Walk,” a strip of plaques paying tribute to people from the LGBTQ+ community who have made history.
Chicago’s Pride Fest kicks off the weekend of June 22 with the Pride Parade to follow on Sunday, June 30.
To learn more about this year’s Pride Fest and Parade in Chicago, visit Northalsted’s website for more detailed information.