City of Sydney Turns Retired Rainbow Flags Into Rainbow Totes

The City of Sydney has recycled all the rainbow banners that once lined the streets of the city and made them into rainbow totes. 

In September 2021, the City of Sydney Council voted unanimously to replace the Rainbow flag with the Progress Pride flag.

According to Lord Mayor Clover Moore “In making way for the Progress Pride Flag, we didn’t want the historic rainbow banners going to waste. When we brought the 200 rainbow banners down, we turned them into 1500 bags, right here in Sydney.”

200 Rainbow Flags = 1500 Rainbow Bags

If you are wondering how to get your hands on one of these bags; there’s good news and some bad news. 

The bags are not available for purchase, however, they will be handed out to the City’s pride networks, Sydney WorldPride, and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. 

Sydney WorldPride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will distribute the bags themselves, possibly to volunteers.

In a statement, Moore explained, “We have given these bags to the City’s pride network and to our friends at Mardi Gras and Sydney World Pride so these treasured banners will have a new life. A little recycled tote of gold at the end of each rainbow!”

A More Inclusive Flag

The decision to fly the new flag was made, according to Moore, in an effort to be more inclusive and highlight the diversity of the LGBTQI community.

“We unfurled the Progress Pride Flag for the first time at Town Hall to officially launch this year’s Mardi Gras festival. The flag design celebrates greater inclusion, embracing the breadth of identity within the LGBTQIA+ communities, Moore said. 

She continued, “In raising the Progress Pride flag the City is continuing to demonstrate that our precincts are inclusive and safe and that the City supports all within the LGBTQIA+ community – this is especially important as we look to invite the world to Sydney for WorldPride next year!”

Now we will now be flying the Progress Pride Flag, extending that visual celebration to include gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer, intersex, sexually and gender diverse communities, people of colour and First Nations people in Sydney.

— Clover Moore (@CloverMoore) September 20, 2021

The Progress Pride Flag was designed in 2018 by graphic designer Daniel Quasar. The Progress Pride Flag adds five arrow-like stripes to the traditional Rainbow Flag, incorporating a brown and black stripe to represent people of colour and the white, pink and blue stripe of the trans flag, in order to create a more inclusive representation of the LGBTQI+ community.