Rainbow Crossing takes pride of place

A colourful new symbol
honouring Greater Geelong’s LGBTQIA+ community has been installed in Little
Malop Street.

Councillor Anthony Aitken, Access
and Inclusion Advisory Committee member,officially opened Geelong’s first Rainbow Crossing, which has been inspired
by similar projects in cities such as Sydney and London.

Positioned at the trafficless
end of Little Malop St, the 3.5-metre-long crossing will be in place for the
month of February.

People are encouraged to take
photos on the crossing and use the #GeelongAustralia and #GeelongRainbowinc
hashtags when posting to social media.

The temporary instalment is a
part of the 2020 Geelong Rainbow Festival, which honours our local LGBTQIA+
community with a week of activities and celebrations.

The third annual Geelong
Rainbow Festival began on Tuesday and finishes on Sunday with the Pride Fair at
Johnstone Park.

It is run by volunteer
not-for-profit organisation Geelong Rainbow Inc.

The Official Rainbow Festival
Opening Night will be held at Piano Bar tonight, hosted by the venue’s talented
drag queens, Sasha Starr and Polly Filla.

The celebrations will conclude
on Sunday with the Pride March, which begins in Johnstone Park at 10.30am and
runs until 12.30pm.

It will be followed by the Geelong Rainbow
Festival Fair Day, with entertainment beginning at 1.00pm in Johnstone Park.

Cr Anthony Aitken, Access and Inclusion Advisory
Committee

The new rainbow crossing
celebrates Geelong’s diversity and is a symbolic show of support for our LGBTQIA+
community.

Placing it in the pedestrian
area of Little Malop St provides time for visitors to stop and linger on the
crossing and to get some great photos.

We are proud supporters of the
Geelong Rainbow Festival, which is growing in size and popularity each year.

Cr Sarah Mansfield, Chair, Social Inclusion
portfolio

One of the great things about
Geelong is how accepting our people are of the LGBTIQA+ community here, so I’m
sure this new rainbow crossing will bring a smile to everyone who uses it.

It’s so important all levels of
government and agencies make inclusion a priority, as it’s key to fostering a
happy, healthy and supported community.

Jo Bangles, Co-President Geelong Rainbow Inc.

Geelong Rainbow Inc. is proud
of this crossing, it symbolises the diversity and inclusion in our progressive
city.

/Public Release. View in full here.