Port Phillip Council shows support for same-sex marriage with display of rainbow colours
ST KILDA Town Hall will be lit up like a rainbow and pedestrian crossings along Fitzroy St painted in rainbow colours as the local council nails its same-sex marriage colours to the mast.
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PEDESTRIAN crossings on Fitzroy St — the future home of Victoria’s first Pride Centre — would be painted in rainbow colours under a council plan to campaign for same-sex marriage.
Port Phillip Council last night unanimously voted to display its pride and support for marriage equality through a range of measures, including regularly lighting up the St Kilda Town Hall in a rainbow, and putting rainbow banners on the council website.
It comes in response to homophobic flyers being distributed to residents in St Kilda last month and as Australians prepare to vote on same-sex marriage in the Federal Government’s postal ballot.
Deputy Mayor Katherine Copsey said she was horrified by flyers, which likened the rainbow flag to the swastika, and feared anti-gay marriage advertisements would have an adverse affect on the wellbeing of LGBTIQ community members.
“That homophobic flyer showed the type of hateful and hurtful material that will be given a platform by the Turnbull Government’s postal plebiscite,” she said.
“The thinking behind (the postal ballot) is repugnant. Equality and human rights aren’t a matter of opinion and they shouldn’t be up for debate.”
Cr Copsey said “it’s never been more important” for the council to stand up in support of its large LGBTIQ community.
“I believe that love will win; until then we will continue to shine a light on the prejudice and injustice surrounding what must be a basic human right,” she said.
Cr Andrew Bond said painting the crossings would make “a bold statement at one of our most prominent intersections” and send a clear message of support.
“(The council) needs to make a much bigger and bolder statement in our community and I couldn’t think of a better location to do so than the intersection of Fitzroy St and Canterbury Rd,” he said.
“The green-painted crossing is worn and needs to be repainted anyway. Removing (it) and replacing it with a combination of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet shouldn’t come at too great a cost to council.”
Cr Dick Gross said Port Phillip Council was an important voice for its LGBTIQ community.
“We have a long history in which we have stood on the shoulders of giants who’ve helped us create an environment where we’ve sponsored pride, often in the face of criticism,” he said.
St Kilda East’s Sean Weatherly told the meeting his partner of nine years, Gareth Price, desperately wanted to marry before he died of a brain tumour last year.
Despite living together for many years in a loving relationship, Mr Weatherly did not have the same rights as married couples under the law following Mr Price’s death.
Mayor Bernadene Voss said by supporting people’s right to be able to marry the person they love, the council was “being true” to its history of inclusiveness.
“We believe marriage equality is about fairness, not political correctness,” she said.
“We are proud this is the home of pride (and) there is no place in Port Phillip for prejudice or polarisation.”
The council will work with VicRoads to try and make the rainbow crossings a reality.
Councillors also agreed to urge residents to enrol to vote by the August 24 deadline and vote “yes”.
To check enrolment go to www.aec.gov.au
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