The Royal Mint has unveiled its new rainbow-coloured 50p coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pride UK.
This is the first time Britain's LGBTQ+ community is celebrated on official UK coinage. Designed by east London artist and activist Dominique Holmes, the coin features the historic Pride progression flag and is also inscribed with Pride in London’s values of Protest, Visibility, Unity, and Equality, WalesOnline reports.
Asad Shaykh, Director of Marketing and Communications at Pride in London said: “It was a privilege to visit The Royal Mint as part of our partnership and see our coin being made.
READ MORE: Inflation hits all-time record high as cost-of-living crisis surges
“It humbles me greatly that the words that I coined for the brand, PROTEST, VISIBILITY, UNITY & EQUALITY - will be on an actual coin, opposite the Queen. This queer brown immigrant has come a long way, powered by hope, love and this city. Nowhere in the world had this been possible, except the UK. Pride in London feels very proud today.”
While the coin will not enter circulation, it will be available to buy via The Royal Mint website this summer.
Clare Maclennan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said: "The 50th Anniversary of Pride UK is a milestone celebration, and it is a privilege to mark 50 years of progress with this 50p coin. This is the first ever UK coin dedicated to Britain’s LGBTQ+ community, with colour printing technology capturing the spirit of Pride UK with its iconic rainbow colours.
“It was an honour to host representatives from Pride in London at The Royal Mint recently to strike their own coins as part of the launch and discuss with them our commitment to diversity and inclusion within the business and show how we are reinventing for the future.”
The special release is part of The Royal Mint’s wider commitment to diversity and inclusion with the company planning on making a financial contribution to London LGBT Community Pride C.I.C. Alongside D&I training for all employees, a network of D&I Champions has been established to support The Royal Mint’s wider vision of celebrating differences for an inclusive future.
This commitment also extends to an LGBTQ+ society for employees at The Royal Mint; established last year. Named ‘Enfys’, the Welsh word for Rainbow, the group has hosted Q+A sessions, shared their personal stories and encouraged visibility and allyship amongst employees.
