Rainbow flag forum postponed

The prospect of a rainbow flag in Taylor Square is in doubt after a community forum on the initiative was postponed by City of Sydney Council.

A proposal to erect a rainbow flag in Taylor Square was originally floated at a Council meeting in May after the removal of the controversial Oxford Street rainbow pedestrian crossing. The initiative was deferred after opposition from Lord Mayor Clover Moore and five independent councillors, despite a large community presence outside Town Hall who gathered in support of the idea.

A compromise was reached when Council voted to host a forum to gauge public opinion on the issue, but the scheduled June 25 forum has since been cancelled.

Labor City of Sydney Councillor Linda Scott said she was “disappointed” to hear of the forum’s postponement and claimed there had been “no real action” on the rainbow flag proposal from Council despite community support.

“I call on the Lord Mayor to honour her commitment to the community from the May council meeting to hold a forum and involve the community in the task of creating a permanent symbol of equality for Sydney’s LGBTI community. She must urgently get on with the job,” Scott said.

Council first proposed a rainbow flag in 2005 when Moore answered a question on notice from then-Councillor Verity Firth, saying the idea was “worth investigating” and that she would request City officials to start looking into it.

“I will ask the Chief Executive Officer to investigate the Rainbow Flags flown in other cities, consult with the key gay and lesbian community organisations in Sydney and provide some options as to how Council, should it agree to pursuing this idea, might integrate such a flag into Taylor Square or at another location in Oxford Street,” Moore said at the time.

A spokeswoman from Moore’s office said the meeting had been rescheduled for July 16 at Paddington Town Hall.

“Since the removal of Taylor Square’s rainbow crossing there have been a number of alternative ideas for recognising the LGBTI community on Oxford Street. We want to hear all the ideas on an appropriate way to recognise the GLBTI community, but also find out how the City can help raise the profile of the important issues that are affecting them,” Moore’s office said.