Construction begins on national monument to honour 2SLGBTQ+ community

Construction is now underway for a national monument in downtown Ottawa recognizing the discrimination faced by 2SLGBTQ+ people across the country.

The LGBT purge refers to a period of time between the 1950s and mid-1990s, where thousands of members of the RCMP, Canadian Armed Forces and the federal public service were discriminated against and often fired from their jobs because of their sexuality.

It was a "really awful period" of Canadian history that many are still unaware of, said Michelle Douglas, executive director of the LGBT Purge Fund.

Michelle Douglas, executive director of the LGBT Purge Fund, was honourably discharged from the military in 1989 because of her sexuality.

Douglas launched a lawsuit against the Canadian government following her discharge, a case that, when settled out of court in 1992, marked the end of what was essentially a ban against 2SLGBTQ+ people serving in the armed forces.

The design of the monument centres around a sculpture shaped similar to a thunderhead cloud, meant to "embody the strength, activism and hope" of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.