The Rainbow flag has now been raised at The Beauchamp Hotel on Oxford Street in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, as a physical reminder of the breadth of support for marriage equality in Australia.
To ensure that the voice of the 70% of Australians, who want to see marriage equality a reality is heard, SKYY Vodka and just.equal have now raised a bold rainbow flag bearing the faces of those who have supported the cause through their #CheerstoEquality campaign.
The first stage of #CheerstoEquality encouraged Aussies to show their support for marriage equality by clinking together SKYY Vodka’s unique world-first smart-tech glasses.
When ‘cheersed’, the glasses triggered the capture of a selfie, along with a digital signature, expressing support for marriage equality on Twitter.
Since kicking off in March, supported by charity partner just.equal and LGBT+ activist and leading Australian comedian Joel Creasey, hundreds of people have taken part in the initiative and splashed their support all over social media.
Now these selfies have been printed onto the unique rainbow flag, which will be flown in Sydney for thousands of people to enjoy as a symbol of a united show of support for equal love for all people in Australia.
With the impending postal vote forcing our queerness to the centre of our respective consciousnesses, and to the consciousnesses of those who would see us silenced and erased, it is more important now than ever to receive and accept support from our community, and from our LGBTQ allies.
It can be pretty dispiriting, and even traumatic, to be incessantly told that you are literally worth less than your straight counterparts, and that the general population gets to vote on whether or not you get to marry your partner.
Something as physically small and thin as a flag might not seem like it matters in the scheme of things, but as we are all aware, it’s the little shows of support, and the unifying symbols under which we can all converge, that make fighting our battles possible.
Flag carriers carry a 1 1/4-mile-long rainbow flag, created by Gilbert Baker in 1978, in Key West, Florida, US, Jun 15, 2003
The first rainbow flag was designed in San Francisco in 1978 by young LGBT rights advocate, Gilbert Baker, and was flown at the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade. It was made up of eight colours: hot pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise blue for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit.
Two colours were eventually removed from the flag, making it an even six, and the LGBTQ flag as we know it was born. Since that time, waving the flag has become an act of resistance, of community, of pride, and of solidarity.
“The flag is an action – it’s more than just the cloth and the stripes. When a person puts the Rainbow Flag on his car or his house, they’re not just flying a flag. They’re taking action,” said Baker.
We can do it, Australia. Fly your flag wherever and whenever you can. Be proud, and love one another. Don’t let the haters get you down.