Daylesford has been announced as one of four finalists to potentially give regional Australia's first LGBTQIA+ landmark a permanent home.
Earlier this year, Tinder launched ‘The Big Rainbow Project’ to support the LGBTQI+ community in regional Australia.
In a larger-than-life show of support for the regional LGBTQIA+ community, Tinder unveiled Australia’s newest “Big” landmark, ‘the Big Rainbow’ which sat pretty in its temporary home in Sydney before announcing it was on the lookout for a new regional location as part of the Big Rainbow Project.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Out of more than 150 ‘Big Things’ across Australia, the Big Rainbow is the first landmark to celebrate our vibrant and widespread regional LGBTQIA+ community. Funded by Tinder, the project has come to life in close collaboration with members of the community, from concept to its final design.
“At Tinder we believe that everyone deserves a chance to make a meaningful connection with someone new. The Big Rainbow Project is a long-term commitment for us and a deepening of our support to the Australian LGBTQIA+ community beyond the urban centres through initiatives in app and across the country. We hope to see the first ‘Big’ landmark dedicated to the community find a home in regional Australia where it can be a beacon for diversity, inclusion and self-expression,” said Tinder Australia country director, Kristen Hardeman.
After thousands of submissions and over 50 regional towns suggested, it has now been shortlisted to the final four towns: Daylesford, Hay, Broome and Katherine, with voting up to the public to decide its future home in regional Australia, to champion diversity, inclusion and self-expression.
Celebrating regional LGBTQIA+ Pride and inclusion, each of the four towns are worthy contenders for the Big Rainbow landmark.
Representing Victoria, Daylesford, the Traditional Land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, is known as the rainbow capital of regional Victoria. It’s also home to Chillout Festival, one of the longest-running events celebrating regional LGBTQIA+ pride, so we think it would be pretty special to see the landmark there.
Elsewhere, Broom in WA, the Traditional Land of the Yawuru people, is home to one of the most remote Mardi Gras celebrations in the country, providing a melting pot of culture and people; while as the hub of The Big Rivers region in the NT, the town of Katherine, the Traditional Lands of the Jawoyn, Dagoman and Wardaman peoples, has an ever growing LGBTQIA+ community and annual Pride celebration for regional territorians.
Lastly, deep in regional NSW, there’s the small town of Hay which is also a potential home for the landmark. Hay is the Traditional Lands of the Nari Nari and Wiradjuri people, and is home to the first Mardi Gras of the region, the Rainbow on the Plains festival.
To help foster the magic of connection & community for all, Tinder will donate $100,000 AUD to community organisations working tirelessly for regional LGBTQIA+ representation, diversity and inclusion.
The project, which has been developed with the help of community advisors and experts, aims to raise awareness of the challenges LGBTQIA+ Australians can face in regional towns, where lack of visible communities and the geographic distance from urban celebrations can contribute to increased feelings of isolation and disconnection.
The public vote is open now until June 30.
You can vote for where Tinder’s Big Rainbow should live here.
