Finding a Permanent Home for Tinder’s Big Rainbow in Australia
Tinder – yes, the dating app – has thrown its support and funding behind The Big Rainbow Project, an effort to find a home for the first landmark to celebrate Australia’s vibrant regional LGBTQ+ community. The ground-breaking project to build the Big Rainbow, from ideation to its final design, was a collaboration between Tinder and members of the LGBTQIA+ community and the First Nations Australian community. And now, the search is on to find a future home in regional Australia.
Thousands of towns and cities were submitted to win the bid to become the final home of Tinder’s Big Rainbow. The four finalists include:
Daylesford, Victoria – The traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, and it’s also known as the rainbow capital of Victoria. Daylesford is home to Chillout Festival, one of the longest-running events celebrating regional LGBTQ+ Pride.
Broome, Western Australia – The traditional lands of the Yawuru people and home to the most remote Mardi Gras celebrations in the country, providing a melting pot of culture and people.
Katherine, Northern Territory – This town is not only the hub of The Big Rivers region, but it is also the traditional lands of the Jawoyn, Dagoman, and Wardaman peoples. There is a growing LGBTQ+ community and an annual Pride celebration.
Hay, New South Wales – Located on the traditional lands of the Nari Nari and Wiradjuri people, this small town is home to the Rainbow on the Plains Festival, the first Mardi Gras in the region.
To help foster its message of connection and community for all, Tinder will donate $100,000 to community organizations that work for regional LGBTQ+ representation, diversity, and inclusion. Tinder will announce the full list of Australian organizations along with the final home of the Big Rainbow landmark.
It’s going to be a tough process to pick The Big Rainbow’s final home, but a diverse group of panelists has been assembled to choose a regional town before the end of the year. The panelists are:
Jamaica Moana is a non-binary rapper, Sydney-based artist and creative director of Māori and Samoan descent. Jamaica is also a resident commentator of the Australian ballroom community.
Nicholas Steepe is an equity, diversity, and inclusion advisor at Charles Sturt University who lives in Junee NSW. He’s passionate about promoting inclusion and support for regional and rural LGBTQ+ people.
Lee-Ann McDougall is the founder/president of Newcastle Pride Inc. and a proud Awabakal woman who believes that Pride groups, safe spaces, festivals, and events for all LGBTQ+ people and generations to come.
Queer Agency is an organization devoted to creating authentic collaborations in the LGBTQ+ community, producing work by and for queer people.
John Davis (DJ Argonaut) is a proud Naarm (Melbourne) that has spent 15 years keeping queers on the dance floor and producing dance events on the east coast of Australia.
Xaddy Silky is a Middle Eastern nightlife artist and curator in West Sydney who focuses on vogue, ballroom, building the Kiki House of Silky, and working with the community.
Jojo Zaho started her drag career in Dubbo and appeared in the inaugural Miss First Nation Indigenous pageant and the documentary Black Divaz about the competition. Since then, she has served as the first First Nation Glambassador at the Broken Heel Festival and has also appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.
No word yet on when a final home will be announced for Tinder’s Big Rainbow, but we’ll keep you posted!
