The city of Albany has unveiled a new crosswalk painted with the rainbow Pride flag in recognition of Pride Month.
The crosswalk bridges two long-standing gay bars on Central Avenue, ROCKS and the Waterworks Pub, as a small gesture of support for the LGBTQ community. At the fixture’s debut on Thursday, Tandra LaGrone of In Our Own Voices – an organization dedicated to assisting LGBTQ people of color – could barely contain her excitement.
“As a little girl, this would have meant so much to me, seeing that flag that represents diversity here in the city of Albany," LaGrone says. "And to be able to walk through the world, knowing that I am supported, means a lot.”
The new painting will be a permanent addition to Central Avenue, part of an ongoing mural and public art project by the city and Parking Authority. But ROCKS Owner Lance Rider says the crosswalk is something he and Waterworks General Manager Scott Levine have been wanting to do for years, as a way of publicly making space for the LGBTQ community.
“In many places across the country, they have what they call a ‘gay neighborhood,’ where there’s kind of that area that is infused with a lot of gay owned and operated businesses – and we’re sort of that here," Rider notes. "And we want people to have that place to go.”
Ultimately, it was Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Common Councilor Richard Conti who got the ball rolling ahead of Pride Month, June. Conti says this Pride Month is especially important – it marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which are largely credited with sparking the fight for equal rights for LGBTQ people. Conti says the country, and Albany, have come a long way since 1969.
“Thinking back in the history of the gay and lesbian community here in Albany, it was just 31 years ago this past March that the Albany Common Council actually voted down a basic human rights ordinance for the community," Conti explains. "It was only a few years before that that I remember that there was actually a police raid on a gay establishment here on Central Avenue – I forget exactly where it was, but we’ve come a long way.”
In Our Own Voices’ Tandra LaGrone says there’s still a long way to go. Transgender people around the country, especially transgender people of color, face continued violence and oppression.
“I think a lot of folks like to look at the LGBT community as one big umbrella, but there’s diversity in any community," LaGrone notes. "So as black and brown people, we experience racism, discrimination, oppression, and marginalization on a daily basis.”
LaGrone adds she’s found Albany to be extremely welcoming, and a model for other communities. Reflecting on her recent trip to Israel with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayor Sheehan praised the crosswalk and other murals around the city for highlighting its diversity.
“We had conversations as mayors about the lack of welcoming, and the language of divisiveness that we see on the national and international level," says Sheehan. "And what we talked about as mayors, Democrat and Republican, is that it’s our job to make sure that our cities speak up.”
Albany isn’t the only city painting its streets in the name of Pride – Kingston is repainting some of its Uptown crosswalks.
Albany’s Washington Park will host a black and Latino Pride celebration on June 8, followed by the Capital Pride parade and festival on June 9. There’s more information at the Capital Pride website.
