Actress, musician and local resident, Heather Peace unveils Europe’s first Rainbow Crossing on Madeira Drive in Brighton today.
Created overnight by local artists, the rainbow stretches across the road at the artists’ quarter of Madeira Drive and is hoped to attract hundreds of people keen to see Europes first rainbow brick road.
Julieanne Gilburt and street artist Cassette Lord led the creation of the crossing artwork alongside a team of artists from the JAG Gallery and the Modern Gallery on Madeira Drive.
Julieanne said: “We’ve loved creating the rainbow crossing. It’s a beautiful message and a perfect addition to the artists’ quarter on Madeira Drive. We hope everyone will come down and enjoy it.”
Heather is also celebrating the release of We Can Change, her new song championing equal rights and celebrating LGBT Pride month. We Can Change features on her second studio album, The Thin Line, which is released today.
Heather has appeared in the top ten of the Independent On Sunday’s Pink List twice, graced the cover of DIVA Magazine more times than any other artist and headlined Sydney Mardi Gras’ Fair Day.
She’s also a patron for Diversity Role Models, Manchester Pride and a supporter of The Peter Tatchell Foundation, The Albert Kennedy Trust, Womankind and Stonewall.
Heather will be performing at various Pride events this summer, including Brighton Pride on August 2 before embarking on her own UK tour in October.
Over recent years, Rainbow Crossings have become synonymous around the world as a celebration of diversity. The first crossing was launched in West Hollywood in 2012 by artist Martin Duvander, who said that they were a milestone for the LGBT movement:
Martin said: “The sheer impact and the enormous visibility of the global message they send are truly immeasurable.”
Since then, official crossings have been unveiled in cities including Sydney, Melbourne and Tel Aviv, while unofficial DIY crossings have popped up in places like Moscow, Paris, Shanghai and Cambodia as marks of protest and solidarity for LGBT people.
Heather, says: “I knew there could be no better place in Europe to create a ‘Rainbow Crossing’ than in my home town of Brighton. ‘We Can Change’, is my big gay anthem. It’s an empowering tribute to equality and I wanted the crossing to be a beautiful symbol to represent that during LGBT Pride month. It’s a gift from me to anyone that embraces diversity.”