‘Permanent’ flag

Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au

IT seems that Mornington Peninsula Shire Council intends to permanently fly the “Intersex Progress Pride Flag” outside its offices.

The latest version of the flag, officially recognised as the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag, was unveiled at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, US, in June.

The unveiling during LGBTQ+ Pride Month was said to demonstrate “the evolution of inclusivity in the design of Pride flags”.

In its quarterly glossy publication Peninsula Wide, the shire says it believes “it is vital we overtly show our support for LGBTIQA+ community members”.

Under the heading Respecting diversity, the shire states: “Our Community Vision makes it clear that respect for diversity and inclusiveness are central to who we are. There is no place for hatred, demonisation or exclusion on the peninsula.

“The wellbeing of our community is paramount, and this includes those who identify as LGBTIQA+.”

The explanation in Peninsula Wide follows the shire and former mayor Cr Steve Holland not responding to questions from The News about the flag (‘Dialogue’ terminated over flag, The News 28/11/23).

Unanswered questions remain about who decided that the flag be flown, were councillors told and could other groups ask for their flags to be flown.

In its own publication the shire states: “At each of our shire offices, we proudly fly the Intersex Progress Pride Flag alongside the Australian national flag, Victorian state flag, Aboriginal flag, Torres Strait Islander flag, and the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council flag. That will continue.”