A plan to illuminate the Shrine of Remembrance in rainbow colours as part of an exhibition celebrating the service of LGBTQ veterans has led to threats to staff and the war memorial cancelling the light display.
A statement from the memorial on Saturday said the exhibition and a last post service scheduled for Sunday would go ahead, but rainbow lighting planned for the colonnades in the evening would not.
Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance has cancelled plans to illuminate the site in rainbow colours, citing abuse and threats directed at its staff.Credit:Getty Images
“Over several days, our staff have received and been subject to abuse, and in some cases, threats,” the statement said.
“We have seen something of what members of the LGBTIQ+ community experience every day. It is hateful.”
The Shrine’s management made the decision “in the interests of minimising harm” after consulting with veteran associations, representatives of the LGBTIQ+ veteran community and the state government, among other partners and friends, the statement said.
“As a peaceful place of remembrance, we seek to provide a safe and inclusive place for all,” it said.
The exhibition, Defending with Pride: Stories of LGBTQ+ Service, is due to open in August and marks the first time an Australian war memorial has examined LGBTQ service in a dedicated exhibition. It is the third in a series of exhibits exploring individual identity in times of war.
3AW radio presenter Neil Mitchell took issue with plans for the rainbow lighting on Wednesday, telling listeners the rainbow flag “can be divisive” and lighting up the war memorial was “a step too far”.
“[The flag] is sort of symbolic of debates around gender identity and how that’s managed, and it’s also been used by more militant parts of the gay community,” Mitchell said.
“We can handle that debate as a community; it’s not the role of the shrine to be leading that debate.”
Shrine of Remembrance chief executive Dean Lee told the radio station on Wednesday he questioned whether the pride flag continued to be divisive.
“The ADF has recognised gay, lesbian and bisexual members since 1992, so we are talking 30 years of recognition within the ADF, so I don’t know it is that divisive within the defence community,” Lee said.
“It was considered very carefully … we felt this was an important thing to recognise.”
Lee said he would be “very surprised” if the majority of Victoria would not be supportive of the decision to recognise diversity of service.
“The horrors of war and the legacy of service do not discriminate, and every member who has served in the ADF needs to be able to be recognised with pride,” he said.
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