CENTRE WELLINGTON- Renegade Rainbows is a new initiative in Centre Wellington to kick off Pride month in June.
Wellington County councillor and high school teacher Diane Ballantyne started Renegade Rainbows with collaborator Reverend Ann Turner at Saint James Anglican in Fergus.
The idea for Renegade Rainbows is for local residents to draw rainbows in chalk on their driveways to show support for the LGBTQ+ community during pride month.
Or if you’d rather, Renegade Rainbow volunteers can do it for you.
The organization is accepting registrations now and for the next few days. Volunteers will begin chalking the last weekend in May.
“Of course, if it rains then they’ll be done,” Ballantyne joked about the chalk drawing efforts.
This is the first year Renegade Rainbows will be done in the community, and as far as Ballantyne is aware, the idea is original.
She came up with it when looking at pictures of old Pride parades.
“It just made me sad to think that that wonderful celebration was having to be canceled for the second year in a row… and I thought, well, what is something that we could do during this time when we need to stay close to home and we’re not allowed to gather?
“How do we try to demonstrate celebration of the LGBTQ community in Centre Wellington?” she said.
Ballantyne said that she doesn’t know where the idea specifically came from.
“It just popped into my head that we could easily physically distance and stay in our own communities and chalk on the end of the driveway.”
The response from the community has been positive, Ballantyne said.
“I think that really is such a great testament to the community… healthy communities are inclusive and when some groups are more marginalized than others, it’s our responsibility to exert some effort to make sure everyone feels that they’re seen and that they’re valued and that they’re celebrated,” she said.
Ballantyne said according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, those in the LGBTQ+ community face higher rates of depression, anxiety and self-harm.
“So, it’s really important for us to have a welcoming community in order to try to help combat some of those feelings of marginalization and isolation,” she added.
Those interested in volunteering for the initiative, or having a rainbow on their driveway can email cw.renegaderainbows@gmail.com , or reach out through social media to Diane Ballantyne, @BallantyneCW across twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
