RAINBOW stripes are strung with pride outside Tamworth’s The Inland Cafe.
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The flags – a symbol of gay pride – have been a signal to locals and tourists alike that the cafe welcomes sexualities of every stripe.
Owner Kristy Sollars said it was important to welcome local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people with open arms.
“Tamworth has a huge gay community and we want to bring them in and make them feel very comfortable,” Ms Sollars said.
She said the flags prompted questions from curious customers, many of whom (including some LGBTI people) did not know its significance.
“A lot of people ask about it, they don’t know what it is,” she said.
“We have lost customers because of it, which is a shame.”
The issue strikes a personal chord with Ms Sollars – she has a gay sister, who has two children through IVF with her partner.
Will Pigot, who is gay, works as a chef at the cafe.
“I love my work,” Mr Pigot said.
“It’s the only place I’ve ever worked that puts itself out there as gay-friendly.”
He said in the past he faced “a lot of trouble in school” from homophobic classmates and sometimes “copped it” at pubs, but said the discrimination was fading and LGBTI people were embraced more now than a decade ago.