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Winnipeg artists design national monument recognizing the LGBT Purge

The nine-metre monument and park use thundercloud imagery and an interpretive wall to mark decades of government-led discrimination.

  • On Friday, August 21, 2026, Ottawa unveiled the Thunderhead monument, honoring survivors of the LGBT Purge, a systemic campaign that targeted LGBTQ2S+ federal employees for decades.
  • Between the 1950s and 1990s, the Canadian government investigated and expelled thousands from the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP, triggering a successful class-action lawsuit by 719 survivors in 2016.
  • Designed by Architects Public City, the 30-foot column features a hollowed-out thundercloud lined with mirrored tiles; the $15 million project was funded through a portion of the $145 million class-action settlement.
  • Michelle Douglas, Executive Director of the LGBT Purge Fund, called the site a 'beacon of hope,' providing space for reflection, grieving, and celebration for those impacted by historical injustice.
  • Opening just before Capital Pride 2026, which begins Saturday and runs through August 30, the monument stands as a permanent reminder of resilience amidst global rollbacks in LGBTQ+ rights.
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28 Articles

Lean Left

People who have been victims of historical discrimination against 2ELGBTQI+ communities hope that the new national monument will be a place of learning, recollection and celebration.

·Montreal, Canada
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Center

A first national monument dedicated to the LGBT community will be inaugurated Friday morning in Ottawa.

The Toronto StarThe Toronto Star
+21 Reposted by 21 other sources
Lean Left

National monument marking LGBTQ+ persecution opens this morning in Ottawa

OTTAWA - Victims of state prosecution hope Canada's new national monument for LGBTQ+ people will be a place to learn, grieve and celebrate.

·Toronto, Canada
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Global News broke the news in Toronto, Canada on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
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