Many countries are looking back at their past treatment of gay men and LGBTQ people as a whole with regret and remorse.
Earlier this year, the UK apologized for their convictions of gay men in the mid-20th century, and Germany’s Parliament unanimously voted to pardon 50,000 men convicted of homosexuality in the past. Now, Canada is doing the same.
Later today (November 28th), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wil apologize for the Canadian gay purge of the past. To go with that, the government will also be paying over $100 million to those who were affected during the time.
That said, the government’s not just shilling it out without a plan. The federal court will have to approve the details of payment before any of the thousands of victims see a cent.
But that’s not all. The government is also donating $250,000 to charity projects focused on fighting discrimination and homophobia.
Plus, new legislation is being introduced today to erase the criminal records of people who have been arrested and convicted for homosexual acts.
While Canadian citizens will have to apply for this removal of criminal records, families of those deceased can do so for their late loved ones.
Update 11/30/2017:
Here is the full speech from Trudeau
