Do-It-Yourself Rainbow Crosswalks Popping Up All Over Sydney in Response to Shameful Crossing Removal

Yesterday I reported on the shameful action by NSW Roads and Maritime Services in Sydney, which stealthily removed a much beloved rainbow crosswalk in the middle of the night.

Now, rainbow crosswalks have begun springing up all over Sydney in response to the removal in a kind of chalk and paint revellion.

The do-it-yourself demonstration even has its own Facebook page.

Russian Anti-Gay Activists Target PepsiCo for Putting Rainbow on Milk Carton

Anti-gay activists in Russian are going to picket shops that sell a brand of milk produced by PepsiCo's Russian unit, saying it violates laws on "gay propaganda" because it has a rainbow on the label, Reuters reports:

The milk brand is called Vesyoly Molochnik, which translates as Gay Milkman, though in Russian the word vesyoly does not suggest homosexuality. The group said that it was objecting to the rainbow, which it saw as the international symbol for the gay movement.

The group said on Friday that it has asked prosecutors to take action because the packaging violated the law passed in St. Petersburg in February, which makes it illegal to spread "propaganda" that could "damage the health, moral and spiritual development of the underaged". The offence carries a fine of up to 500,000 roubles ($16,100).

West Hollywood Getting Permanent Rainbow Crosswalks

Work has begun on two permanent rainbow-colored crosswalks on Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards in West Hollywood, California, KTLA reports:

The permanent crosswalks will have skid-resistant thermoplastic pavement markings and new asphalt. The estimated cost to upgrade the rainbow crosswalks is $67,364. The estimated cost for the initial temporary installation was $13,000. Construction is being done by Sharidan Design Asphalt of Alpine and it's expected to be completed by the first week of October.

(via americablog)

Scott Lively Says Gay Rainbow Flag a Sign of the End Times: VIDEO

Pastor Scott Lively delivered a sermon called "The Global Threat of Homosexuality" at Resurrection Life of Jesus church in Sacramento recently that warned that the Gay Pride flag is a sign that society is on the verge of collapse, Right Wing Watch reports.

Said Lively:

When you see the gay pride parade going down the street in the major cities, what banner are they flying over them? They're flying the banner of the rainbow. What is the rainbow? The rainbow is God's covenant with man never to destoroy the Earth by water again ...

...In fifty years we have seen this tiny group of people - they really only represent about two percent of the population - that has grown from being a reviled subculture to now having more power in the legislatures and courtrooms of the world than the Christian church does. In fifty years! Nothing has ever grown that fast globally, nothing. Not Islam, not Darwinism, not Marxism, nothing has ever grown that fast. Which shows you that this is a spiritual phenomenon that is unparallelled and that's why God has selected it, singled out this particular behavior to be the indicator of extreme apostasy, the furthest edge of deviance and the warning sign that things are in really, really bad shape.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Catholic School Bans Rainbows Because It Doesn't Want Gay-Straight Alliance Showing 'Pride'

And the students fought back by baking.

The St Joseph Catholic Secondary School told the school's unofficial Gay-Straight Alliance that it couldn't display any rainbows at an anti-homophobia event on June 3, so the students responded by making rainbow cupcakes, Canada's Xtra reports:

Leanne Iskander, 16, who founded the school’s “unofficial” gay-straight alliance in March, tells Xtra the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board put the kibosh on displaying any rainbows at their information booth.

“We brought signs and posters with rainbows, and we were told that we can’t put them up,” says Iskander, who was recently named the 2011 honoured dyke and youth grand marshal. “They said rainbows are associated with Pride. There’s so many other things that a rainbow could be. It’s ridiculous.”

The teacher who delivered the news told Iskander the decision came from the board. “The board wasn’t there, but they knew about the event,” she says.

Since rainbows couldn’t be displayed openly and proudly, the students baked rainbows into the cupcakes by dying the batter in a rainbow of colours. The cupcakes were sold for 50 cents each, raising about $200 for charity.

 St Joseph Catholic Secondary School is in Missassauga, Ontario.

Space Needle To Permanently Lower Rainbow Flag

Remember when the officials who run the Space Needle in Seattle capped the landmark building with the rainbow flag during pride month last year? Looks like the flag hoisting won't happen this year or, for that matter, ever again. Says a Space Needle rep:

“We don’t make a habit of flying flags on top of the Space Needle and we make an effort not to  fly any flags on a recurring basis,” she said.

Bacarella said the Space Needle is giving the flag to the group, Seattle Out & Proud, which will be marching with it this year.

“Though we are not flying the flag this year, the photos of it flying last year continue to be a source of pride for everyone in our community,” she said. ” We are also working with Seattle Out and Proud on a major fundraiser to benefit the LGBT community.

Some gay rights advocates are challenging the decision and want to see the flag flying over the Space Needle once again. Change.org has started a petition to do just that. Sign it here.