A new campaign in Terrace is giving local businesses a way to show their support for the LGBTQI+ community. Visit Terrace is offering free rainbow stickers at the Visitor Centre for businesses to display in their windows.
Visit Terrace Executive Director Liz Smaha said the goal of the campaign is to make sure everyone who comes into Terrace feels safe and included.
“I think it’s important for many reasons, really, but I just feel like whether you’re a resident here, whether you are a traveller here, that everybody deserves the right to feel safe.”
While the campaign is relatively new, Smaha pointed out that the response has been positive so far. She noted that a few businesses have already picked up stickers, and more are expected to join as the promotion continues.
“It’s new, obviously, we just got it out. We just need to do a little bit more promotion on it, but so far, yes, we have definitely had a few businesses reach out, so I am excited about it. But we will be doing a little bit more marketing of it as we go along here.”
Smaha explained that the rainbow sticker is more than just a symbol for one community- she wants people to see it as a sign of safety and welcome for everyone.
“Everybody recognizes the rainbow sticker as being like this safe space to be. So I feel like even if you’re not within that community, that sticker also resembles this is a safe space for me, too. So I want the sticker to be very inclusive of everybody, knowing that if for any reason I feel like I need a little bit of protection, I need someone to guide me, anything, I want them to know that that’s a safe space for everybody.”
Smaha said it matters for businesses to show their support in a way people can see. It lets residents and visitors know that inclusivity is important in the community.
“I just want people, whether you’re travelling here or whether you’re a resident here, to know that no matter what is going on at that moment in your life and you feel like you need some protection from whatever it is, that that is a safe space for you to go.”
And while this campaign is one step forward, Smaha noted it’s part of a bigger effort by Visit Terrace to make the community welcoming in other ways as well.
“You know, I think that this is the first step for sure. We’ve done other things in inclusivity, like we purchased a wheelchair that will get people with mobility issues to be able to go down to the river, to experience different trails. So I’m trying to make it inclusive in other ways as well. It is part of an initiative that we’re doing to make our whole community very accessible to everybody.”
Any business interested in taking part in this sticker campaign is asked to pick up a free rainbow sticker at the Terrace Visitor Centre on Keith Avenue.
