Sam Cooper, The Province, July 27, 2010

The NDP says B.C. has a gay-bashing problem, and the government needs to take action to fight it.

In advance of upcoming Pride parade festivities in Vancouver, NDP MLAs have offered up a list of five things they say would help combat homophobia and hate crimes.

“This is the worst gay-bashing record among major Canadian cities,” Chandra Herbert said.

Recent cases in Vancouver include the attack on Jordan Smith and his boyfriend, in which Michael Kandola was eventually sentenced for the hate crime, and brothers Parminder Singh Bassi and Ravinder Singh Bassi, charged on June 30 for an alleged hate attack on gay couple David Holtzman and Peter Regier.

Gay-bashing goes up during summer months, Chandra Herbert said, so Vancouver police should put more beat cops out on the streets of Vancouver’s Davie Village neighbourhood, which has a large gay community.

Some members of the gay community have reported an increase in verbal assaults during the recent firework celebrations in the English Bay area, Chandra Herbert said.

Speaking personally, he said he and his male partner have been verbally attacked in recent months, making them feel “unsafe in our community.”

“We’re hoping the B.C. Liberals take action, because for too long we’ve seen violence increase in our community.”

NDP public-safety critic Mike Farnsworth said the justice system must put out a stronger message that hate crimes will be prosecuted aggressively, adding that “too often victims in the court system are sometimes forgotten.”

The MLAs challenged the government to act on suggestions including:

• Promoting acceptance and celebration of diversity, including ensuring that every school district is encouraged to implement clear anti-homophobia policies;

• Ensuring that Crown prosecutors are aware of and use legal hate-crime provisions where warranted;

• Creating a provincewide tips line to report cases of gay-bashing;

• Investing in a victim services/community safety worker to support victims of discrimination; and

• Working with the City of Vancouver to get more police officers on the beat in the Davie Village during the summer.

A spokesman said the minister responsible for public safety, Attorney General Michael de Jong, was not available to comment on the issue.

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