Moved by Councillor Worling , seconded by Councillor Miller –
It is resolved that:
(A) Council note:
(i)
Oxford
Street is long recognised as the heart and home of the LGBTIQA+ community in Sydney.
It is a global beacon for pride, diversity and solidarity, synonymous with
LGBTIQA+ life;
(ii)
one of
the transformative projects of Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050: Continuing the
Vision is to revitalise the Oxford Street precinct;
(iii)
as
retail, nightlife and inner-city living evolves, new investment and planning
changes bring opportunity to revive and strengthen the identity of Oxford
Street;
(iv)
the
Oxford Street LGBTIQA+ Social and Cultural Place Strategy, adopted by Council
in October 2022, is the overarching strategy that currently guides the City’s
work in the Oxford Street precinct to support the LGBTIQA+ community;
(v)
key
priorities of the Place Strategy include increasing LGBTIQA+ visibility and
identity throughout the precinct; recognising historic LGBTIQA+ places and
spaces; and increasing LGBTIQA+ cultural and social spaces;
(vi)
flags
have always been an integral part of the LGBTIQA+ movement. They are a visible
representation meant to educate, celebrate progress, advocate for
representation, and amplify the demand and drive for collective action;
(vii)
there
have been many LGBTIQ+ flags over the years. San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker
designed the first Pride Rainbow flag for the 1978 San Francisco Freedom Day
Parade. It is widely recognised as the symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) communities; and
(viii)
beyond
the rainbow flag that represents the whole community, there are also individual identity, gender and sexuality flags
that represent the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community. These include: the
Progress Pride Flag, the Unity Pride Flag, Trans Flag, Bisexual Flag, Asexual
Flag, Intersex Flag, Gay Flag, Lesbian Flag, Non-Binary Flag, Genderqueer Flag,
Pansexual Flag and Genderfluid Flag, among others;
(B)
Council
further note;
(i)
the
City of Sydney is home to Australia’s highest population of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQA+) people, with 21.4% of
residents in our Local Government Area identifying as part of this community;
(ii)
the
central flagpole at Taylor Square (on the southern side) flies the Progressive
Pride Flag every day;
(iii)
there
are currently 18 smart banner poles at Taylor Square north flying Progressive
Pride banners, with an additional 18 smart banner poles available at Taylor
Square south;
(iv)
for
this precinct to continue to thrive as a global LGBTIQA+ destination, it must
be signposted, and the full spectrum and evolution of queer culture, must be on
display year-round;
(v)
the
City understands that visibility and inclusion are vital to a vibrant and safe
City, and is committed to elevating and celebrating the broad spectrum of
LGBTIQA+ experiences, residents and visitors;
(vi)
a new
progress pride crossing is currently underway at the intersection of Bourke and
Forbes Street, outside Qtopia Sydney (Darlinghurst Police Station); and
(vii) the City has advocated for the fences outside the Darlinghurst Courthouse to be removed, to return the grassed area to the community and reuse of the court building for more cultural space. This area, once reclaimed, could provide an opportunity for a more permanent iteration of this concept; and
(C) the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:
(i) investigate a permanent location for Pride Flags of Importance (in the short term at Taylor Square, and in the longer-term, outside the Darlinghurst Courthouse), where each flagpole is clearly marked with a dedicated QR code or plaque for education purposes;
(ii) meanwhile, explore the feasibility of dedicating the remaining 18 smart banner poles at Taylor Square south to additional Progressive Pride banners;
(iii) investigate the capabilities of the City’s current smart banner poles to support different formats, such as horizontal Progressive Pride flags rather than vertical banners;
(iv) consult with City staff, key stakeholders, other levels of government, key LGBTIQA+ organisations and the wider community to see what flags they would like to see flown permanently at Taylor Square or the Darlinghurst Courthouse; and
(v) report back to Council with the findings, a timeline and cost estimate for this schedule of work.
Carried
unanimously.
X113756