Here's a look at Canada's first LGBTQ2+ national monument

Canada’s getting a national monument to honour the LGBTQ2+ community, and it’s a dazzling disco-ball concept that makes space for both protests and performances.

Canadian Heritage unveiled the winning design on Thursday, which was selected by a jury that also considered the results of an online survey open to stakeholders and the public.

Titled “Thunderhead,” the design is inspired by a thunderhead cloud, which “embodies the strength, activism and hope of LGBTQ2+ communities,” according to the winning team.

The bold and dynamic design “Thunderhead” by Team Wreford of Winnipeg has been chosen for the LGBTQ2+ National Monument to be built in #Ottawa. https://t.co/dzAwGkkqNU #LGBTQ2I #DesignCompetition #Architecture #LandscapeArchitecture #VisualArts @lgbt_fund @publiccityarch pic.twitter.com/z72PjcOEOk

— Canadian Heritage (@CdnHeritage) March 24, 2022

“This monument will be a symbol of celebration and a space for reflection, healing, activism and performance for generations to come,” said architect Liz Wreford in a statement.

Wreford is part of the winning team that created the design, which also includes visual artists Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, and Indigenous and Two-Spirited People advisor, Albert McLeod.

The team hopes the design will be a lasting testimony honouring those who were harmed by the LGBT purge, homophobic and transphobic laws and Canada’s colonial history.

The LGBT Purge refers to a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and the Canadian federal public service were discriminated against, harassed and fired due to their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

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The monument itself will be a towering sculpture that creates the shape of a thunderhead cloud using mirrored tiles. Leading up to the design will be a pathway through a landscaped park that traces the history of LGBTQ2+ people in Canada.

There will also be a healing circle made up of stones hand-picked by Two-Spirit Elders. At the monument’s base will be a stage for protests and performances, and its interior can host intimate events.

The monument will live in Ottawa, on a site behind and to the left of Parliament Hill, between Wellington Street and the Ottawa River.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2025.

Here’s a first look at the national monument.

Canadian Heritage