The new $1 coin commemorates 50 years of progress in recognizing the rights of LGBTQ2 Canadians…
 
By: Christopher Turner
 
Fifty years ago, Parliament passed an act that helped initiate the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. Today, the Royal Canadian Mint released a new loonie that celebrates LGBTQ2 Canadians and their allies who have advocated for equal rights.
 
The Equality $1 commemorative circulation coin (pictured above) is one of a series of Government of Canada initiatives marking the 50th anniversary of a small, but important step towards decriminalizing homosexuality in Canada.
 
Most consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults over the age of 21 were decriminalized in 1969, two years after Pierre Trudeau, then the justice minister, introduced amendments to the Criminal Code, famously declaring “there’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.”
 
Trudeau’s famous words on December 21, 1967 were an integral step in the decades-long efforts to achieve acceptance and equal rights for LGBTQ2 people in Canada.
 
Canada’s new coin design was approved by the government of his son, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on December 14, 2018.& The approval follows new legislation that came into force last June, as part of Justin Trudeau’s 2017 apology to LGBTQ Canadians for past acts of discrimination by the authorities.
 
“The Mint takes great pride in celebrating Canada’s culture, history and values,” says Alex Reeves, senior manager of public affairs at the Royal Canadian Mint. “Celebrating 50 years of progress in recognizing the rights of LGBTQ2 Canadians is a powerful expression of Canada’s support of equality and inclusion.”
 
You can find Canada’s new loonie celebrating LGBTQ2 Canadians in your change now!
 
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