FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA, ON, May 1, 2024 – Today, shovels broke ground at the site of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument in Ottawa. Called Thunderhead, this monument is being built to recognize historic discrimination faced by generations of 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada, including the colonial roots of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and the cruelty of the Canadian government during the LGBT Purge. It will celebrate the resilience of all queer and trans communities and serve to inspire the change still needed in Canada.

The Monument’s proponent — the LGBT Purge Fund — marked the historic milestone with members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, LGBT Purge survivors, [...]

In 2023, the LGBT Purge Fund developed the interpretative content for the 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument. This content includes the words, quotes, images and captions that will tell the story of 2SLGBTQI+ discrimination in Canada, including the colonial roots of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and the cruelty of the Canadian government during the LGBT Purge. It also tells stories of community resistance and resilience and urges vigilance in the face of ongoing hate.

Key messages will be communicated within the monument’s site on an entry panel and on a long interpretive wall. Two on-site freestanding panels will also describe the design of the Monument [...]

2023 was a big year for a number of our team members.

For one, our Chair, Martine Roy, was awarded the Order of Canada for her tireless efforts as an executive leader, activist and advocate of diversity, inclusion and equity in Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Congratulations Martine! We are so proud of you.

In 2023, our Executive Director, Michelle Douglas, was named the Canadian Armed Forces’ first Honorary Colonel for Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture. This position will allow Michelle to continue her life-long project of changing military culture and improving the federal workplace, especially for 2SLGBTQI+ people. We wish Michelle every success!

Board of directors [...]

In May 2023, Halifax hosted the 7th quadrennial Unison Festival — a choral event featuring Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ choruses. The first festival was held in Edmonton in 1998 and festivals have since been held in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Calgary. You can learn more about about the festival here.

The event in Halifax drew 22 choirs and over 1000 attendees, including members of the LGBT Purge Fund Board, who attended to see the three choral works commissioned by the Fund about the LGBT Purge. The pieces were poignant and powerful. Watch them here!

 

 

The Commanded Heart
TTBB Festival Chorus, conducted by Willi Zwozdesky

In March 2022, we announced that “Team Thunderhead,” led by Public City Architecture in Winnipeg, won the competition to design the 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument. The selection of the winning team was made by the Monument’s jury, which carefully considered feedback from our Indigenous Circle, our Monument Advisory Committee, the National Capital Commission and the public.

Over this last year, in response to feedback from these stakeholders and rightsholders, and from the LGBT Purge Fund, the design has been refined and enhanced. What was a winning concept has been developed into a full-fledged, detailed design. While some aspects of the design may still be [...]