He was called hurtful names at the Surrey grocery store where he used to work.

Faggot. Idiot. Retard. Fucking stupid. Fatty.

Kyle Garneau, a gay man who suffers from physical and mental disabilities, was also assaulted by a son of his former employer, and the police were of no help.

Garneau testified to all of this in a hearing before Parnesh Sharma, a member of the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal.

Sharma, who went on to award the man almost $16,000 in damages and lost wages, was appalled.

“I find the nature of harassment, both verbal and physical, to be beyond the pale and egregious,” Sharma wrote in a decision on May 5.

Sharma established that Garneau was discriminated against by Shingara Sumal, owner of the former Buy-Rite Foods at 9528 120th Street, Surrey, and his sons Sutej and Inder because of his sexual orientation, and physical and mental disabilities.

“It is apparent that the Sumals had little regard for Mr. Garneau and undoubtedly saw him as someone who could be mistreated with impunity,” Sharma wrote in the ruling.

Although Garneau is private about his sexual orientation, the Sumals perceived him to be gay. He also has an unusually large head, a condition brought about by a birth defect.

Whenever Garneau told the Sumals to stop abusing him, “he would be laughed at and mockingly asked ‘what’re you gonna do about it’,” Sharma related.

Sharma wrote that the man was “mistreated and bullied primarily because he was seen as weak and vulnerable, but that his physical and mental disabilities and perceived sexual orientation were significant factors in the treatment he experienced”.

Garneau testified that “Inder would harass him and constantly ask him in a parroting way ‘are you gay, are you gay, are you gay’”, and that the name-calling “occurred in front of employees and customers”, making him feel “less than human”.

Garneau also told the tribunal member that Inder assaulted him twice.

“He reported it to the police, but Inder denied it and there was no investigation,” Sharma wrote. “He says that Inder assaulted and threatened him because he was seen as weak and gay; someone who could be ‘pushed around’.”

According to Sharma, the Sumals did not participate in the tribunal’s proceedings despite notices.