Mardi Gras: Sydney Uni’s progress flag slammed for ‘promoting division’

The University of Sydney has switched its logo on social media to the new flag, which attempts to represent the LGBTIQ community as well as people of colour, in time for Mardi Gras.

The University of Sydney has been accused of reaching new levels of ‘‘wokeness” by changing its logo to an 11-colour “progress flag” to coincide with the start of Mardi Gras.

The university announced it would change its logo across social media to the new flag which contains the six colours representing the LGBTIQ community traditionally seen on the rainbow flag.

But it also includes black and brown stripes to represent “marginalised … people of colour” as well as pink, blue and white for the transgender community. The move has led to calls for the university to focus on its “core functions”, with accusations the initiative was actually “promoting division”.

The University of Sydney’s logo over the ‘progress flag’ it has endorsed.

Dr Bella d‘Abrera, the director of the Foundations of Western Civilisation program at the Institute of Public Affairs, said the effort showed the university had “completely sold out … to identity politics”.

“The University of Sydney promotes every item on the identity politics pyramid at the expense of diversity of thought,” she said.

“There is one world view which is the orthodoxy.

“Universities have completely sold out to a single ideology of identity politics.”

The use of the “progress flag” as a more inclusive alternative to the gay-pride rainbow flag has grown steadily since 2018 but this is the first time Sydney University has endorsed it. A spokeswoman for the university said the use of the progress flag was part of celebrating the “diversity of thought” at the institution.

The uni’s endorsement of the “progress flag” in the Mardi Gras has drawn criticism.

One Nation’s Mark Latham has criticised the “out-of-touch” move.

“We’re proud of the many communities on our campus and fly the flags of a number of our communities on various days throughout the year to celebrate the diversity of thought that universities promote, in addition of course to flying the Australian flag every day of the year,” she said.

“We are committed to building a stronger and more inclusive environment that supports our LGBTIQ+ students, staff and community members.”

One Nation’s NSW leader Mark Latham said the move was another example of a “bloa­ted, indulgent, out-of-touch” higher education system.

“For students that are there to get a degree, flags and 11 bright colours are completely meaningless,” he said.

“I’m sure (Mardi Gras) will be a colourful, successful event – there’s no need for the university to get involved.”