Gay Canadian couple awarded $12,000 from homophobic neighbour

[alp227]

Quebec's Human Rights Tribunal has awarded $12,000 in damages to a gay couple in Pointe-Claire because of the homophobia they endured from a neighbour.

Gordon Lusk was ordered to pay the money to his neighbours, Theo Wouters and Roger Thibeault, after the tribunal found that Lusk subjected them to homophobic slurs, invitations to fight and death threats.

When Wouters and Thibeault would drive down the street, Lusk's children would also shout homophobic remarks at them, the tribunal said.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/01/13/homophobia-pointe-claire.html

[Denninmi]

1. Good.

Maybe that will make the next bigot think twice.

[applegrove]

2. Yup. Good.

[rbixby]

3. A part of me feels good about this

But another doesn't like the restrictions on free speech (death threats aside). I'm not quite sure what to think about it, because I think 'hate speech' is very subjective. Canada needs to tread carefully with this so it doesn't get out of control.

[MNBrewer]

4. Harassment is not "free speech"

[rbixby]

5. True, but Canada has stricter restrictions on free speech

It just makes me nervous for Canadians about what else might get labeled as 'hate speech', particularly with the conservative government they have not.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

6. I'm Glad that Canada knows hate speech when it sees it...