National monument to LGBTQ+ purge victims opens west of Parliament Hill
Thunderhead sculpture honours thousands removed from Canadian military and public service during Cold War persecution. Opening ceremony includes Governor General and LGBTQ+ leaders.
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A national monument honouring thousands of people purged from Canada's military and public service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity opens this morning west of Parliament Hill.
The monument, called Thunderhead, features a sculpture with the imprint of a cloud in mirrored tile and hundreds of thousands of small glass squares meant to evoke disco balls. In Anishinaabe teachings, thunderheads are clouds home to the thunderers, beings whose storms renew the land and make things right. The design includes Indigenous attributes symbolizing identities that existed before Europeans imposed a gender binary.
The purge lasted from the 1950s into the 1990s, with researchers estimating 9,000 people across the federal workplace hunted down and lost their jobs. Michelle Douglas, head of the LGBT Purge Fund, was herself fired by the Canadian Armed Forces in the late 1980s with the words "not advantageously employable due to homosexuality" written on her release documents. Her lawsuit in 1992 forced the military to expand anti-discrimination policies.
"We're telling the stories of what happened to so many of us, and making sure that Canadians know this is a time we should never return to," Douglas said.
The monument was funded through a $145 million class-action settlement involving 719 people who said Ottawa purged them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, with $15 million allocated for the monument and memorialization exhibits. The site sits along an Ottawa River cycling path, in view of the Supreme Court and Parliament, with spaces to read history, quietly reflect, picnic and gather for solemn occasions.
Governor General Louise Arbour, dignitaries and prominent Canadians who identify as LGBTQ+, including two-spirit people, will join Douglas at this morning's opening ceremony. The Public Service Pride Network is holding a dance party this evening around the monument.
The facts
How many people were estimated to lose their jobs in the Canadian purge?
Researchers estimate 9,000 people across the federal workplace were purged from Canada's military and public service between the 1950s and 1990s because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
What is the monument called and what does it look like?
The monument is called Thunderhead. It features a sculpture with the imprint of a cloud in mirrored tile and hundreds of thousands of small glass squares meant to evoke disco balls.
How was the Thunderhead monument funded?
The monument was funded through a $145 million class-action settlement involving 719 people who said Ottawa purged them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, with $15 million allocated specifically for the monument and memorialization exhibits.
Who was Michelle Douglas and what did she accomplish?
Michelle Douglas was fired by the Canadian Armed Forces in the late 1980s and is now head of the LGBT Purge Fund. Her 1992 lawsuit forced the military to expand anti-discrimination policies.
