The future site of Thunderhead: Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument is marked out in the dirt by a translucent ring behind political leaders and members of the LGBT Purge Fund as they participate in a ground breaking ceremony in Ottawa, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS
After a rainy night, sunshine greeted attendees at Ottawa's groundbreaking ceremony for a national LGBTQ+ monument. Albert McLeod, a two-spirit elder, highlighted the significance, linking the clear sky to ancestral symbolism.
The "Thunderhead" monument aims to commemorate past discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community by the Canadian government and society. It draws inspiration from Anishinaabe teachings, associating thunderheads with renewal and justice.
Scheduled for completion in 2025, the monument's creation is funded by the LGBT Purge Fund, which addresses historical injustices faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Canada, particularly during the period known as the LGBT Purge. This dark chapter, spanning from the 1950s to the mid-1990s, involved systemic discrimination against LGBTQ+ members in the military, RCMP, and federal public service. Survivors received compensation through a class-action lawsuit in 2018.
The monument serves as a tribute to those who did not live to seek justice. Designed by a team from Winnipeg, it includes features like a sacred fire site and a symbolic column broken by a thunderhead cloud. Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St. Onge, herself a member of the LGBTQ+ community, acknowledged the monument's importance in remembering the painful history of discrimination.
She emphasized the need to combat rising intolerance and protect the rights of all individuals.
