Citynow Activistseeksreturnof

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

A transgender pride flag with a storied history has gone missing in Burnaby, and its owner is making a plea for its return

Leada Stray, a Metro Vancouver drag entertainer, trans activist and self-proclaimed “thorn in the side of anyone who tries to do bad things,” bought the pastel pink, blue and white flag 20 years ago at Little Sisters Bookstore inVancouver

Stray had hung it in the front window of their Capitol Hill home after two decades of bringing it along on activist adventures around the world

“It’s waved above the heads of queer freedom fighters for the last 20 years,” Stray told the NOW “It’s seen every major Canadian human rights fight in the last 20 years It’s travelled to places like Australia, Moscow Pride, NewYork City, Europe It’s gone everywhere ”

On April 19, however, Stray found their front window open and off its track – and the flag nowhere to be found

“It was shocking that somebody would actually break into my house,” said Stray, who is concerned about a rise in transphobia across the globe and especially in North America

As a leader in the community, Stray feels responsible to protect the history of the flag and is putting out a call for its return

Anyone with information about the flag’s whereabouts is asked to email Stray at transpride flagrecovery@gmail com