
Herne Hill’s rainbow crossing made a little bit of history this week.
Anyone who’s played a fair amount of Mario Kart knows that a rainbow road is usually a place fraught with peril. Thankfully, quite the opposite is true of the UK’s first permanent rainbow crossing, which has been installed in Herne Hill, just outside Brockwell Park. A firm marker of LGBT+ rights, the crossing is designed to show off Lambeth’s inclusiveness, love, and support for the LGBT+ community.

It’s not the first rainbow crossing to appear in London – Greenwich gave several of theirs the rainbow glow-up as part of this year’s Pride celebrations – but the Brockwell Park one is the first to be in place year-round, rather than just temporarily. A sign of lasting commitment (which, sadly, too often goes wandering once Pride in London has wound down), the London crossing joins a series that has already rainbowed Los Angeles, Vancouver, Sydney, and San Francisco.
Popped to the opening of the UK’s first permanent Rainbow Crossing! When I was a young gay boy spotting the rainbow flag made me feel less alone and when I got older it let me know where I would be safe. This visibility should be celebrated, well done @lambeth_council 🌈 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/MhUJe5qsQt
— David Morgan (@thisisdavid) August 16, 2019
Londoners are invited to share the rainbow on social media, with #HerneHillRainbow being the predominant tag. A rise in homophobic and transphobic hate crime means now is the time to raise awareness and fight even harder for LGBT+ rights and acceptance, all year round. Whilst a rainbow crossing can’t do that alone, the symbolism of a permanent installation sends a clear message of solidarity – and that’s certainly something we can all get behind.
Featured image: @8bdesign