Vancouver man who spoke out about verbal homophobic attack says he's been further targeted online
Police say they have arrested a man in connection with homophobic incident at a SkyTrain station
UPDATE — Feb. 4, 2023: Vancouver police say a 34-year-old man was arrested in connection with the homophobic attack at the SkyTrain station, after he turned himself in Thursday morning.
The man, from Chilliwack, B.C., was also arrested for an unrelated firearms offence. Police did not release his name pending further charges.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Warning: This story contains details of a homophobic hate incident.
Jamie Pine and his boyfriend were leaving Burrard SkyTrain Station for a night out in Vancouver on Jan. 29 when another man — who had been making the couple feel uncomfortable on the train — followed them out, yelling homophobic slurs.
"My boyfriend just said, 'Run," Pine said in an interview.
"At that point it was like, 'Oh god, what does he want?"
Pine captured part of the incident on video and shared it to social media, wanting to denounce the man's behaviour and let others who have experienced similar hateful incidents to know they're not alone.
But while some who responded to his TikTok video have been supportive, Pine says others have targeted him further.
"The support is great, but with all that support comes negativity," he said. "I've received quite a lot of that online."
Pine and his partner feel fortunate they avoided a physical altercation and the man didn't have a weapon.
He says Vancouver is a "progressive city" and it's the first time he's faced this kind of hate since moving from the U.K. three years ago.
"I really did feel safe," he said. "And now ... I don't know if I still feel safe on the SkyTrain."
CBC News reached out to the Vancouver Police Department regarding the incident and homophobic hate crimes in the city.
A spokesperson said they are unable to provide figures but that police are "making progress" on Pine's file, and an investigation is ongoing.
Online hate on the rise: advocates
Michael Robach, who manages development and communications for Qmunity in Vancouver's Davie Village — a resource centre for queer, trans and two-spirited folks across the province — says it was tough watching Pine's video, because so many LGBTQ2S+ people have had similar experiences, and seeing it happen to someone else brings up past trauma and is a reminder of the work that remains.
He says he's seen a big rise in online hate, both in B.C. and across Canada in recent years.
From June to September 2022, Qmunity saw a 23 per cent spike in demand for their mental health services, the biggest increase they've seen in the past three years.
"People behind a keyboard feel like they can just say anything to anyone without any consequence," said Robach.
"The reality is, when you read hateful comments it validates insecurities that you already have inside your mind."
Robach wants to see policy changes that will create better support structures that allow everyone in the community to feel safe.
"In spite of this uptick in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, there is space here for our community," he said.
"There is so much here to celebrate."
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With files from Zahra Premji