‘I AM SORRY. WE ARE SORRY’

Apology to LGBTQ2 community

Marilyn Neudorf wept as she listened to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologize for the federal government’s role in perpetrating discrimination against the LGBTQ2 community.

“I am so excited that this has happened in my lifetime. It’s wonderful,” Neudorf said Tuesday afternoon at OUTSaskatoon after watching a public livestream of Trudeau’s apology.

Neudorf was one of about two dozen people who flocked to Saskatoon’s LGBTQ2 community centre to watch as Trudeau rose in the House of Commons to deliver a formal apology to the LGBTQ2 community. He spoke for nearly 30 minutes, expressing shame and regret for the government’s past actions, which he said caused pain and suffering for people who weren’t heterosexual.

“I expected it to be just a couple minutes, but he was very inclusive,” Neudorf said. “And, you know, he was tearful as well and so it was obvious that he was emotional about it as well and so that moved me as well, that really moved me.”

In addition to the apology, the government on Tuesday introduced legislation which, if passed, will allow the expungement of criminal records for people convicted of consensual sexual activity with samesex partners. It earmarked $110

It was obvious that he was emotional about it as well and so that moved me as well, that really moved me.

million to compensate members of the military and other federal agencies whose careers were sidelined or ended due to their sexual orientation. As part of that settlement, the government will pay an additional $20 million for legal fees and administration and devote at least $15 million for projects that will “promote collective reconciliation and remembrance,” including museum exhibits.

The government is also putting $250,000 toward community projects to combat homophobia and provide support for people in crisis, and plans a commemoration in 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of the federal decriminalization of homosexual acts.

Peter Lippman, facilitator for a seniors’ group at OUTSaskatoon, said the apology is too late, but he is glad it was made. “It begins the process of, for want of a better word, healing,” he said.

OUTSaskatoon director Rachel Loewen Walker similarly praised Trudeau for his words.

“Any kind of federal apology of this form is a huge acknowledgment,” she said.