A Progress Pride Flag will be painted on the forecourt of the Bendigo Town Hall as a symbol of the City of Greater Bendigo’s support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said she looked forward to seeing the artwork completed and unveiled in time for the Bendigo Pride Festival in March.
“This is an important but logical step for Council to take. We have long participated in a range of LGBTQIA+ days or events of significance, and our Council Plan and Healthy Greater Bendigo Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan include objectives relating to supporting our LGBTQIA+ community,” Cr Metcalf said.
“This artwork will not only add to our vibrant street art scene but I also hope to see it become a selfie spot, with images shared across social media that send a message that Greater Bendigo is a welcoming and inclusive city.”
The City and stakeholders have agreed the Progress Pride Flag, which also represents indigenous and multicultural people and transgender people, is the preferred flag for the artwork.
Origin of the Pride Flag
In choosing the Town Hall forecourt as the location, it creates a significant link to the history of the Pride Flag.
The flag was created by artist and activist Gilbert Baker, who was asked by Harvey Milk, a Councillor in San Francisco and the first openly gay politician in America, to create a positive symbol for the gay community to replace the pink triangle used to mark gay men during the Holocaust.
When Milk was assassinated in 1978, the Pride Flag was adopted as a symbol for action.
In 2017, black and brown stripes were added to the original Pride Flag to acknowledge the indigenous and multicultural members of the LGBT communities.
In 2018 the Progress Pride Flag was made by adapting the 2017 Pride Flag.
The Progress Pride Flag features five arrow-shaped lines, the black and brown colours now form part of the arrow, together with pink, light blue and white, which are also used on the Transgender Pride Flag.
