Coun. Chak Au may be alone on council in refusing to endorse a rainbow crosswalk, however he’s not alone among some Richmond residents.

At a city council meeting on Monday, Au voted against the city spending $15,000 to paint a rainbow crosswalk on Minoru Boulevard in front of the Brighouse Library, citing the speed the item was brought up with and a lack of public consultation.

After the vote, Au said he was not against supporting the LGBTQ2S community, with city staff explaining that the agenda item was pushed forward to coincide with Pride Week, which kicks off July 29.

However, three members of the so-called Parents Slate, which ran five candidates in last fall’s school board elections, have come out in opposition of the rainbow crosswalk, echoing Au’s concerns.

One of them, Andrea Gong, a Richmond resident, said she supports Au’s position and told the Richmond News that “identity politics could harm social relations – it emphasizes differences rather than commonalities, which could pull the community apart.”

“(Painting the crosswalk) might separate one group of people from the rest of us. If we make the rainbow crosswalk permanent, should we paint signs for other groups of people to celebrate equality, such as painting signs for Christian or Muslim groups,” said Gong, who didn’t get elected last fall.

According to Gong, if the city plans to set up a permanent symbol of “inclusiveness and love,” it shouldn’t be a symbol attached to one single “ideology.” Instead, the Canadian flag could be a better option.

Only Richard Lee from the Parents Slate got elected last fall.

Another member of the same slate, Ivan Pak, said the city should spend taxpayers’ money more wisely, particularly when lots of local community associations are struggling financially and some people are not getting the support they need.

Pak added that there already is a crosswalk in front of the library, and the new painting won’t increase the safety level.

James Li -a third member of the same slate,  which was opposed to the Richmond School District’s SOGI policy -said he believes everyone is equal, but “political correctness pressures people to adopt the same values and support the Pride movement, for fear of facing criticism and isolation if they don’t.”

“In our community, if anyone has a different opinion of the LGBTQ sign and movement, he or she might face being labelled as ‘haters’ or a ‘bully.’ Lots of people are afraid to speak up, which is another way of bullying,” said Li.

The final vote on the proposal will be held at Monday’s council meeting. Pak and Gong say they plan to be there to show their opposition.