RRC Polytech rainbow walkway sign damage ‘not benign’: elder

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This article was published 19/05/2023 (884 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Red River College Polytechnic says signage torn down at the entrance to its LGBTTQ+ rainbow walkway didn’t appear to be a targeted act and didn’t report it to police.

The two-spirit Indigenous elder who discovered the issue disagrees, and says such acts need to be called out and condemned.

Albert McLeod said he was leaving the college’s May 5 graduation pow wow at its Notre Dame Avenue campus when he noticed one of the two signs identifying its rainbow walkway was torn down, and someone had tried to damage the second.

“They made an effort to do this and it’s not benign and it’s just not regular vandalism,” he said Friday. “It’s a message to the institution.”

McLeod, one of the college’s knowledge keepers, reported it to administration.

He also contacted the Free Press after reading about Winnipeg police investigating a possible hate crime at Riverbend Community School involving the theft of its Pride flag and an anti-LGBTTQ+ letter left at the scene.

“It’s about power and a narrative that says, ‘These education institutions are for straight people.’ That’s what it really says to me,” McLeod said.

RRC Polytech said it investigated the incident and replaced the vinyl signage.

“There was nothing from our investigation that indicated to us that it was intentional or targeted,” spokesperson Conor Lloyd said Friday.

The damage “was consistent with the types of random things that happen with different posters and exterior signage that can occur on occasion in some of our high traffic areas,” he said.

“We keep a very, very close eye on the walkways and any of our external spots on campus as well, so that we can address any type of graffiti or damage, or any vandalism as soon as it occurs.”

In a later statement, Lloyd added: “Whether intentional or not, it is incredibly unfortunate and disappointing that someone took the time to remove (the signs) and we condemn any action, real or perceived, that targets or harms the (LGBTTQ+) community, and we stand in support as members and allies.”

McLeod wasn’t satisfied with the college’s response. “To me, to put that much energy and risk into vandalizing something like that at an institution like that, to me, is purposeful,” he said.

The college’s rainbow walkways were developed in consultation with the Rainbow Resource Centre, its Knowledge Keepers Council, students association and gender and sexual identities working group, Lloyd said.

They were unveiled before last year’s Winnipeg Pride Week, and are prominently featured at the college’s Notre Dame and Exchange District campuses, he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca