Madrid to get permanent ‘gender equal’ traffic lights for World Pride
The Spanish city of Madrid is set to instal its first “gender-equal” and “inclusive” traffic signals.
The lights will feature women or girls with skirts or ponytails to identify them as female ahead of an international Pride celebration.
The lights will also feature same-sex couples holding hands, as well as straight couples.
After the 2017 World Pride celebrations on 23 June-2 July, the Madrid City Hall says the lights will remain.
The City Hall says the signs are intended to encourage gender and LGBT equality.
Costing the exercise, the City says it spent €22,000 to replace some 288 lights at 72 crossings.
The lights had originally showed a single man crossing the street.
The local government in Madrid was earlier this year attempting to ban a bus advertising campaign that attacks transgender people.
The bus campaign reads in Spanish: “If you’re born a man, you’re a man. If you’re a woman, you’ll always be a woman.”
But the regional government in the city was assessing whether it has the power to have the campaign banned.
New streetlights featuring gay and lesbian couples holding hands were announced for the centre of Turin earlier this year.
Lithuania’s Parliament marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia this year by lighting up in rainbow colours.
