Britain's Royal Mint releases rainbow-colored coin to mark 50 years of Pride UK -

Written by Lianne Kolirin, CNNLondon

Britain’s Royal Mint has issued a commemorative 50 pence coin to mark the 50th anniversary of Pride UK.

The coin, which won’t enter circulation, was designed by London artist, author and LGBTQ+ activist Dominique Holmes.

This is the primary time Britain’s LGBTQ+ neighborhood has been celebrated on official UK coinage and varieties a part of the Royal Mint’s wider dedication to range and inclusion, in response to its web site.

The standard picture of Queen Elizabeth II is featured on one facet, whereas the reverse options 5 small rainbows — the image of Pride. The central rainbow bears the phrase “pride,” whereas the others are embellished with Pride in London’s values of protest, visibility, unity and equality. State-of-the-art printing expertise was used to create the particular version coloration impact, the mint mentioned.

The design additionally options 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 assertion quoted Asad Shaykh, director of selling and communications at Pride in London, as saying: “It humbles me drastically that the phrases that I coined for the model, PROTEST, VISIBILITY, UNITY & EQUALITY — can be on an precise coin, reverse the Queen.

“This queer brown immigrant has come a good distance, powered by hope, love and this metropolis. Nowhere on the planet had this been doable, besides the UK. Pride in London feels very proud at present.”

A historical past of the rainbow flag

Clare Maclennan, director of commemorative cash on the Royal Mint, mentioned within the assertion: “The 50th Anniversary of Pride UK is a milestone celebration, and it’s a privilege to mark 50 years of progress with this 50p coin. This is the primary ever UK coin devoted to Britain’s LGBTQ+ neighborhood, with color printing expertise capturing the spirit of Pride UK with its iconic rainbow colors.”

The coin can be that can be purchased from the Royal Mint web site this summer season.

Back in 2019, the Royal Canadian Mint equally issued a $1 coin that mixed the phrases “Equality” and “Égalité” with the work of Vancouver-based artist Joe Average.