Qmunity's Dara Parker tackles homophobia against gay tenant in Vancouver

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      If you've ever heard Qmunity executive director Dara Parker talk at public speaking engagements or on TV, you've probably been impressed by how articulate and insightful she is. Particularly when it comes to LGBT issues.

      Such was the case on December 18, when she tackled the issue of homophobic discrimination in Vancouver as a regular panelist on Global BC's Unfiltered with Jill Krop.

      The issue was raised in response to the recent news story about 25-year-old Jonathan Pretty, who went public about how he signed a lease to rent a Kitsilano suite but the landlord later told him that he didn't want Pretty as a tenant when he found out Pretty was gay.

      Parker, as the head of B.C.'s queer resource centre, explained why homophobia continues to be an ongoing issue even in progressive cities like Vancouver.

      The panelists also discussed the landlord's outdated misunderstanding of how a person can contract HIV/AIDS. (It should also be noted that the fact that he automatically associated a gay man with HIV and AIDS is also homophobic.)

      (Even though the conversation shifts to another topic later in the segment, Parker manages to slide in a lesbian-community joke around the 7:20 mark that makes the almost-unflappable Krop stumble for a moment. Win!)

      Comments

      2 Comments

      Well done

      Dec 23, 2013 at 2:27pm

      Good job. Great communicator. MUCH better than the last ED of Qmunity.

      Frances

      Dec 23, 2013 at 6:22pm

      Yeah, she's really turned the place around.