In the dark of night, people drew a rainbow outside Australian Prime Minister's home
As the sun set over Sydney, Australian protesters set on the prime minister's house to draw a rainbow in chalk.
Led by community group DIY Rainbow, supporters of Safe Schools -- a curriculum supporting LGBT youth -- made their way to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's house on Thursday night, chalking a rainbow flag on his driveway.
You May Also Like
In a controversial move, Turnbull ordered a snap review of the safe schools program, which aims to help create safe and supportive environments for LGBT students, reducing bullying and discrimination through education.
This decision by the prime minister followed pressure from right-wing politicians, Christian and anti-gay groups. With results of the independent review to be handed to the government on Friday, it is the perfect time to throw some rainbow around the town.
Founder of the DIY Rainbow project, James Brechney, has been chalking rainbows for three years. Following the 2013 removal of a popular rainbow crossing on Oxford St, in the midst of Sydney's LGBT capital, Brechney chalked a rainbow at his home as a joke. His chalking idea went viral -- with supporters all around the world drawing rainbows outside their homes and businesses.
The idea for chalking the prime minister's home came together when Sydney supporters of Safe Schools were looking to do something to coincide with a similar rally in Melbourne on Thursday.
"It was really peaceful," Brechney told Mashable Australia of Thursday night's protest. "The idea was to do something a little more biting than going to [Turnbull's] office. So to drive the message home, we went straight to his house."
He also thinks chalk is the perfect method to push a message about schools. "I think chalking sits in beautifully with the Safe Schools anti-bullying program, maybe I'm showing my age, but that connotation between schools and chalk," he said.
There was a mild police presence when they congregated at a pub in a nearby suburb, as well as on the way to the prime minister's residence in Point Piper, Brechney said. "But the police were pretty nice when we got there," he said. Although, it wasn't clear if the Turnbulls were actually at home.
Brechney believes chalking is a great way to make people productive at protests, while remaining peaceful and sharing the love. "It gives something people to do instead of standing around, and you have this great visual at the end," he said.
Rainbows really do make everything better.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
