A city council voted down a rainbow crosswalk. Now residents have painted 16 of them
In September of 2019, a proposal to install a rainbow crosswalk in the city of Chilliwack, British Columbia was voted down by the city council. Dissenters argued that such a crosswalk would be seen as a "political statement" and would be "divisive," but according to Yahoo! News, that hasn't stopped people from installing 16 of them on privately owned property.
And as is often the case with social justice issues, Indigenous people in the area have led the way. Back in August, two rainbow crosswalks were painted at a shopping center development on Squiala First Nation land, and two more have since been painted on Tzeachten First Nation land.
"The city does not have jurisdiction over our lands so we are free to paint them to demonstrate our support for being an inclusive community," Dave Jimmie, president of the Ts'elxweyeqw Tribe, told Maple Ridge News. "I have also recently lost a friend from the LGBTQ community so this is truly near and dear to my heart," he added.
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Alison Tedford, a member of the Kwakiutl nation who lives in a neighboring town told Upworthy, "It's exciting to see so much support for the LGBTQ community, and a community-driven warm welcome." She adds that she's delighted but not surprised to see leadership coming from First Nations on this issue. "I think as Indigenous people we have experienced marginalization, and to see collaboration between marginalized communities is positive, as well as to see Indigenous LGBTQ people supported by their own community leadership is powerful."
Another rainbow crosswalk was installed at the Chilliwack School District office.
And 11 more have been painted or planned by residents of Chilliwack.
Marty van den Bosch shared a photo of a crosswalk he and his wife had painted on their private property with a message about why they felt it was important.
He wrote:
"To me, diversity is important.
We have a large cross section of people that live in our country, and in our city.
Each and every one of us are different, often in many ways.
I do my best to treat people based on their actions, and their words, not on things like their sexual orientation, race or any other attributes they were born as.
In light of recent events, Kristy and I have decided to paint a rainbow crosswalk on our own property. A bright and beautiful 38 foot rainbow, to show our support.
I support the belief that everyone should be treated with respect, regardless of our differences. If you wish to judge someone, judge them on how they speak of and treat others."
Amber Price, a local resident who spearheaded the effort to get city council to approve a crosswalk, says she'd love to see the town recognized as a world record holder for the most rainbow sidewalks.
"The surge in rainbow crosswalks at our local schools sends a beautifully clear message to our LGBTQ2+ youth," Price told the Chilliwack Progress, "'We see you. We support you. We celebrate you. You are loved'."
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Other cities in British Columbia and other Canadian provinces have installed rainbow sidewalks as symbols of solidarity with the LGBTQ2+ community. And for those worried about safety, the city of Edmonton determined during their Rainbow Crosswalk Pilot program that pedestrian safety was not negatively impacted by the color of the sidewalks. In fact, their report stated that "observed motorist behaviour was consistent with the survey findings where people felt the rainbow crosswalks made intersections safer and were not a distraction."
For LGBTQ folks, a visual reminder that they are seen and loved can only be a good thing. And for those who are bothered by the crosswalks, just enjoy the pretty colors and be thankful for those striving to make the world a kinder place.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."