Roger-Luc Chayer
One of the worst cases of verbal homophobic aggression in Canada has recently occurred among LGBTQ residents in Montreal, at the Shell garage at 2800 Sherbrooke Street East, near Center Maisonneuve and Restaurant St-Hubert!
On August 22 at 7 pm, Roger Lafleur, a citizen of Montreal, stopped at this station to refuel, but encountered some technical problems in wanting to use the pump. Going inside to ask for help, he notices that the employee (Andrew) was constantly on the phone and was not very attentive to his presence. Roger insisted on being served and, visibly disturbed in his occupations, the cashier exploded and insulted Roger, repeatedly calling him a « big fag », because he did not speak like everyone else, and demanded his expulsion. Roger, exasperated by this totally unjustified attack on his honor, decided to film the altercation. By reading the video, one can only be amazed by the violence of the attack. You can see the video on Roger’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/roger.lafleur.98 « I felt humiliated in my identity, being called a big fag by this employee without even knowing if I was gay or not, based on my way of talking, it’s hurtful for anyone and it’s the next day that I realized the impact it had on me. I decided to fight this aggression with the legal means at my disposal so that it not only never repeats this business, but also to educate this employee to the realities of 2019 and for the message to go everywhere, « says Roger Lafleur interviewed Gay Globe. The manager of the Shell in question was asked to explain the steps taken towards the employee involved, we are still waiting for this conversation, as well as a return from the head office.
What are the recourses of victims of homophobic aggression in Quebec? According to the Police Department of the City of Montreal, « A hate crime is a criminal offense motivated or suspected to be motivated by hatred of the race, national or ethnic origin, language, color, religion, sex, age, mental or physical incapacity, sexual orientation or any other similar factor. « The SPVM insists on the importance of denouncing such crimes. Just 9-1-1 and filing a complaint could result in criminal charges.
The Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms provides, in sections 4, 10, 15, 49 et seq., That such an assault is punishable and that, in the case of unlawful and intentional infringement, the court may further sentence punitive damages, which seek to make good the damage suffered by the victim. You can file a complaint with the Commission des droits de la personne at http://www.cdpdj.qc.ca or by phone at 1-800-361-6477.