Progress Flag flies in solidarity with LGBTIQ+ community outside government office

A flag designed to stand in solidarity with the trans community has been unfurled outside government house as a symbol of “care, love and support”.

A new transgender flag has been unfurled outside Treasury Place just days after an anti-trans rally took place in Melbourne.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said flying the trans flag outside government offices was a symbolic gesture “in response to an unprecedented attack on trans Victorians”.

“We are talking about a rally – a protest – that was designed to tell trans people that they did not deserve to exist,” Ms Thomas said on Wednesday.

“We know … that our trans Victorians are subject to so much more vilification, more hate, and it’s simply unacceptable

“We will use our position to ensure that we send messages of care, love and support.”

Ms Thomas said the government wanted “to send a very clear message to trans Victorians that the Andrews Labor government stands with them”.

“We will stand beside trans Victorians, against hate speech (and) against the disgusting behaviours that we saw on the weekend,” Ms Thomas said.

“There was so much wrong with what we saw on the weekend, even before the Nazis turned up.”

The transgender flag will be flown alongside the rainbow flag until the end of the month – a day after International Transgender Day of Visibility.

The two LGBTIQ+ flags have been joined by a new Progress flag, which Premier Daniel

Andrews on Tuesday announced would be a permanent fixture outside the Victorian government offices.

“There’s a new flag flying outside the offices of the Victorian Government,” Mr Andrews wrote on social media.

“Because we’ll always respect you. And we’ll always have your back”.

The new flag comes just days after anti-trans protesters rallied on the steps of Victorian parliament.