Posted on 10/12/2004 8:30:36 AM PDT by laotzu
MONTREAL - A gay man who was called a "fifi" by a used car salesman has been awarded $1,000 by Quebec's Human Rights Tribunal.
The man's name can't be revealed because of a publication ban.
The man told the judge he felt dehumanized, humiliated and degraded by the comment, which happened in November 2001 at Roger Poirier Automobile in Sorel, about 70 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
The salesman, Marcel Bardier, used "discriminatory words in regard to [the complainant], by revealing his sexual orientation in hurtful and vexatious terms," wrote Judge Michele Pauze in her decision, according to the Montreal Gazette.
"Calling someone a `fifi' constitutes a scornful way of referring to homosexuals. The use of this term wounds and adds to the disgrace and lack of respect of human dignity a person [can suffer], homosexuals in particular."
In addition to the $1,000 in "moral damages," the car salesman and his employer must also pay interest and expenses.
I can't stand it! My mascara is running down my face...
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