The new loonies will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada….
We can all agree that 2018 has been a dumpster fire and most of us are looking forward to 2019. The Royal Canadian Mint is already giving us something to look forward to: a new $1 coin design commemorating the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. The design was approved by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on December 14.
Consensual Same-sex sexual activity between adults was decriminalized in 1969 after Pierre Trudeau, then the justice minister, introduced amendments to the Criminal Code. You might know his famous statement of “here’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.”
We don’t know what the new loonie will look like because the Mint hasn’t released an image, the release date or the name of the artist (their initials are RA), claiming it wants to “maximize the impact” of the official launch. Here’s what we do know: according to the CBC, a newly posted cabinet order described the design as a “stylized rendering of two overlapping human faces within a large circle, the left half of the left face in front view and the right face in profile facing left, the two faces forming one whole face in front view composed of two eyes with eyebrows, a nose, a mouth and two ears with a small hoop earring on the left ear.” Also said to be included in the design are the dates 1969 and 2019 and the word, ‘equality’ in English and French. The Mint consulted with two LGBT groups: the Toronto-based advocacy group Egale Canada and the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD), based in Ottawa.
This comes after Prime Minister Trudeau’s 2017 apology to LGBT Canadians for past acts of discrimination by authorities including the Canadian government. Former civil servants who were targeted found their careers sidelined or terminated for suspicion of being gay. (We covered this in a previous article). The apology came with $110 million for compensation for the former civil servants who were affected as well as $15 million for historical reconciliation, education and memorialization efforts.
Canada is doing a good job recognizing its wrongs via its currency. It’s a start but more changes still need to be made: a change in blood donation criteria, perhaps?
RELATED:
– ‘We were wrong. We are sorry.’: Read Trudeau’s Full Apology To The LGBTQ Community
LGtBT / 23 June 2019
I had no problem with PRIDE, until I saw one. Vancouver Pride 2017. You can find some video online.
/watch?v=75p14ToVr88 (add after youtube link)
They had guys in penis thongs skating around in front of crowds of children, smelling each other’s butts.
Guys wearing head-to-toe leather doggy gimp-suits, including dog faces. BDSM furries, bascally and people walking their “gay dogs”
People towing human-sized dog-houses.
To top it all off, they had Stanic gay-weddings down on 1st beach overseen by dudes in Demon outfits similar to those seen at some of the Transgender Storytime events.
Not only am I supposed to celebrate that, but I’m supposed to pay for it!?
LGtBT / 23 June 2019
Canada’s Equity Act is anything but equal.
They’re very specific about who is protected from discrimination… and who isn’t.
Like the law says, “Equity means more than Equality”.
Joan / 23 April 2019
Leviiticus 18:22 says it all. Homosexuality is an abomination agaist God.
Calvin / 16 April 2019
I’m ashame to be called a Canadian
Nabil / 22 April 2019
Fine. Leave then. I hear the states likes and panders to bigots.
Don S. / 13 April 2019
Leviticus 18:22 – Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Baily (MP.ON) / 07 April 2019
During an interview with CBS Royal Canadian Mint spokeswoman indicated that first strikes & proof sets will released by the first week of may 2019,
Kenny / 31 March 2019
When will this loonie be released? I can’t find the release date anywhere. I’m thinking June, which is usually Pride month in many cities.
Jimi / 21 February 2019
One fails to see how refusing to interfere in other’s personal lives is “promoting” or “pushing” anal sex on Phil and John. Perhaps Phil and John should get together and work it out.
Phil Karza / 26 December 2018
promotion of any lifestyle is walking up a slippery slope.
Anon / 06 January 2019
Promotion of equality is not as challenging of a concept as you make it out to be. You’ll get the hang of it one day, I’m sure of it. Good luck!
Anon's logical twin / 08 January 2019
Life stye and equality are 2 different things. It’s a challenging concept to understand! Something you have yet to learn.
John / 12 February 2019
If there’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation then stop pushing it on everybody
Nabil Peralta / 22 April 2019
Nobody is pushing anything on anybody. If you feel like it is, then you are mistaking your fears and doubts of something you have no power over with equality.