In a historic first, Melbourne’s iconic landmark, the Shrine of Remembrance will be bathed in rainbow colours on Sunday August 1, 2022, to honour LGBTQI veterans.
Not surprisingly, the decision has run into the usual homophobic and transphobic opposition.Shrine CEO, Dean Lee told Star Observer that plans to light up the Shrine in rainbow colours to mark the opening of a new exhibition, ‘Defending with Pride: Stories of LGBTQ+ Service’, would go ahead. “Enough.
The Victorian Shrine of Remembrance being used to promote divisive political ideologies. The community deserves to know which fringe activists are behind this sign of disrespect,” Deves railed on .
3AW host Neil Mitchell and former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves railed against plans for the Shrine of Remembrance to be lit in rainbow colours to honour LGBTQI veterans.Neil Mitchell, 3AW host, claimed the rainbow flag was “divisive” and that the Shrine would be “lit up like a gay billboard”, reported the Herald Sun. “No disrespect to the gay community but the rainbow flag can be divisive,” claimed Mitchell, adding, “It’s not the role of the Shrine to be leading that debate, the Shrine should be above politics and political debate.”According to Shrine CEO Lee, this was not the first time that the war memorial was lit in colours to mark important events. “The Shrine has also been illuminated this year along with other major Melbourne buildings to honour police officers killed in the line of duty, and the assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe”.