Britain’s Royal Mint releases coloured coin to mark 50 years of Pride
Britain’s Royal Mint has issued a commemorative 50 pence coin to mark the 50th anniversary of Pride UK.
The coin, which will not enter circulation, was designed by London artist, writer, and LGBTQ+ activist Dominique Holmes.
This is the first time Britain’s LGBTQ+ community has been celebrated on official UK coinage and forms part of the Royal Mint’s wider commitment to diversity and inclusion, according to its website.
The usual image of Queen Elizabeth II is featured on one side, while the reverse features five small rainbows — the symbol of Pride. The central rainbow bears the word “pride,” while the others are embellished with Pride in London’s values of protest, visibility, unity and equality. State-of-the-art printing technology was used to create the special edition color effect, the mint said.
The design also features the black, brown, pink, blue and white stripes of the Progress Pride flag, developed in 2018 by nonbinary US artist and designer Daniel Quasar. The coin will be available to buy from the Royal MintMint website this summer.
UK LGBTQ campaigner refuses ‘national treasure’ jubilee offer
UK activistPeter Tatchell has refused an invitation to be declared a “national treasure” at the Queen’s platinum jubilee because of the monarch’s “neglectful stance towards the LGBT+ community”.
Tatchell, who has been campaigning for gay rights and equality since 1967, had been invited to attend the pageant outside Buckingham Palace as one of more than 100 “national treasures”.
But he declined, stating his lifelong republicanism and also that: “To my knowledge, [the Queen] has never publicly acknowledged that LGBT+ people exist. The words lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender have never publicly passed her lips and she has never visited or been a patron of any LGBT+ charity.”
UNHCR issues statement about persecution of LGBTQI people
On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, a group of UN and regional human rights experts urged governments to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse (LGBT) persons fleeing persecution are protected against violence and treated with dignity. The experts issued the following joint statement:
“Among 84 million people who are currently forcibly displaced worldwide, LGBT persons are particularly vulnerable and marginalized. Fleeing persecution and socio-economic exclusion, they often reside in countries that do not provide strong human rights protections or actively discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The structural vulnerabilities that LGBT persons face are intensified by their situation as migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, or internally displaced persons.
Persecution from State and non-State actors, as well as socio-economic exclusion fueled by stigma, discrimination, armed conflict, natural disasters, and climate change force many persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) to flee their homes in search of a safe environment, where they can live authentically and fully exercise their rights. You can read the full declaration here.
President Biden names first Black woman, and LGBT White House press secretary
President Joe Biden has named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role. Incumbent Jen Psaki is set to leave the post this week.
Jean-Pierre takes on the role as the White House faces an uphill battle to help Democrats hold onto the House and Senate this yea’s midterm elections, and as the administration struggles to address Americans’ concerns about soaring inflation and the state of the economy.
She also comes into the job as Biden faces a daunting array of foreign policy challenges, including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s escalating nuclear testing program. Biden is set to visit South Korea and Japan later this month and Europe in June.