A colourful new symbol honouring Greater Geelong's LGBTQIA+ community has been installed in Little Malop Street.
Councillor Anthony Aitken, Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee member,officially opened Geelong's first Rainbow Crossing, which has been inspired by similar projects in cities such as Sydney and London.
Positioned at the trafficless end of Little Malop St, the 3.5-metre-long crossing will be in place for the month of February.
People are encouraged to take photos on the crossing and use the #GeelongAustralia and #GeelongRainbowinc hashtags when posting to social media.
The temporary instalment is a part of the 2020 Geelong Rainbow Festival, which honours our local LGBTQIA+ community with a week of activities and celebrations.
The third annual Geelong Rainbow Festival began on Tuesday and finishes on Sunday with the Pride Fair at Johnstone Park.
It is run by volunteer not-for-profit organisation Geelong Rainbow Inc.
The Official Rainbow Festival Opening Night will be held at Piano Bar tonight, hosted by the venue's talented drag queens, Sasha Starr and Polly Filla.
The celebrations will conclude on Sunday with the Pride March, which begins in Johnstone Park at 10.30am and runs until 12.30pm.
It will be followed by the Geelong Rainbow Festival Fair Day, with entertainment beginning at 1.00pm in Johnstone Park.
Cr Anthony Aitken, Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee
The new rainbow crossing celebrates Geelong's diversity and is a symbolic show of support for our LGBTQIA+ community.Placing it in the pedestrian area of Little Malop St provides time for visitors to stop and linger on the crossing and to get some great photos.
We are proud supporters of the Geelong Rainbow Festival, which is growing in size and popularity each year.
Cr Sarah Mansfield, Chair, Social Inclusion portfolio
One of the great things about Geelong is how accepting our people are of the LGBTIQA+ community here, so I'm sure this new rainbow crossing will bring a smile to everyone who uses it.It's so important all levels of government and agencies make inclusion a priority, as it's key to fostering a happy, healthy and supported community.
Jo Bangles, Co-President Geelong Rainbow Inc.
Geelong Rainbow Inc. is proud of this crossing, it symbolises the diversity and inclusion in our progressive city.