Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About the Thunderhead Monument

I grew up in what used to be (but happily is no longer so) the very "conservative" (legalistic, hurtful, and judgmental are better, more accurate words) area on the West side of Michigan where there is a church on nearly every corner, several major Christian publishing companies, and colleges. I was taught it was a sinful choice to be 2SLGBTQI+ and while we should love the "sinner", we should hate the sin - which actually really came out to be hating both.

I now know how wrong, hurtful, and damaging this thinking was. Jesus never treated 2SLGBTQI+ in a hurtful or hateful way - in fact, He told us to love ALL others. So many people have been hurt by the hateful thinking I grew up with, not only in West Michigan, but around the world. Here in the US we currently have people "leading" this country who continue to spread this type of hate, but I am so relieved, and impressed to see how Canada is making a different choice - one which brings healing and makes Canada so much stronger.

Canada has unveiled a national 2SLGBTQI+ monument in Ottawa, creating a permanent space dedicated to recognizing the history, struggles, resilience, and contributions of 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

I looked it up and learned the following information online -

Canada officially opened its national 2SLGBTQI+ monument, named Thunderhead, in Ottawa on August 21, 2026. 

Core Details

Location: 201 Wellington Street in Ottawa, near the Portage Bridge along the Ottawa River, on the traditional territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.
Purpose: It honors the thousands of 2SLGBTQI+ people who faced state-sanctioned discrimination, especially victims of the "LGBT Purge"—a historic government campaign which targeted and fired queer members of the military, RCMP, and federal public service from the 1950s to the mid-1990s. 
Funding: The project was funded through a class-action lawsuit settlement led by survivors of the LGBT Purge and developed in collaboration with the LGBT Purge Fund, Canadian Heritage, and the National Capital Commission. 

Design and Features

The Main Structure: A 30-foot-tall cylindrical structure featuring a hollowed-out thundercloud shape. The interior is lined with thousands of mirrored tiles which reflect light, inspired by the look of a disco ball. 
The Fruit Orchard: A dedicated orchard which reclaims a pejorative slur used against the community and serves as a reference to the historical "fruit machine" testing device. 
Healing Circle: A circle composed of 13 stones chosen from every Canadian province and territory by Two-Spirit elders, centering Indigenous Two-Spirit identity.

I am very happy to see how Canada is not afraid to face the things they got wrong and do what they can to take responsibility, so they are able to move forward in a way which no longer harms people. I hope the day will come when this will be true for the USA, too.

You will find more information about the Thunderhead Monument at this link.