Dutch city gets Europe’s first transgender crosswalk

The Dutch city of Almere will be the first in Europe to have a permanent transgender crosswalk on its streets. It will be painted together with a new rainbow crosswalk. The chosen location is a road between a university and a hospital. The municipality chose that location because of its prominent place in the town.
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“We wanted to paint both of the flags to make a statement”, Paul Andriessen, spokesperson for the municipality of Almere, told OUT.tv. “In our city, everyone can be themselves and can fall in love with whoever they fall in love with.”

The hospital where the crosswalk will be painted in front of, often carries out gender confirmation surgeries. “With a crosswalk like this in front of a hospital, you give out an important signal as a municipality: everyone can be themselves,” Andriessen said.

When initiator Suzanne van de Laar found out the transgender crosswalk will be painted, she expressed that the news made her tear up. “We all have the right to be here, and this just confirms that.” She thinks it is important that next to the rainbow flag, the trans flag is visible as well. “Trans persons sometimes feel more represented by the trans flag, than by the rainbow flag.”

The crosswalk will be finished on the 2nd of November and will coincide with a Pride walk hosted by the city. 

The only known transgender crosswalks are located in a few Canadian towns. The colours of those crosswalks (pink, blue and white) are based on the transgender flag. That flag was designed by activist Monica Helm in 1999. The pink and blue represent the colours often linked to the gender of a new-born.  The white stripe represents the individuals who do not identify as one of these sexes.

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