The Equality Coin

"For the past 50 years and beyond, Canadians have fought for their right to love, marry, start a family and live openly as their most authentic selves. The Equality coin recognizes their triumphs and encourages all of us to build a better, more inclusive Canada – because like the coin itself, the more equality we have in Canada, the richer we all are."
Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre



Yesterday, the Royal Canadian Mint launched a one-dollar coin commemorating fifty years of progress in recognising the human rights of LGBT Canadians. Fifty years ago, homosexuality was decriminalised (via). Some advocates raise concerns about the message pointing out that "it mistakenly suggests equality has been achieved and largely as a result of the federal government's actions" but acknowledge that the coin is "fuelling a public conversation about LGBTQ history" (via).



photographs (London, late 1960s) via and via