West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert on Monday called for sweeping changes to services provided to the province's LGBT community.
In a five-point call to action aimed at the B.C. Liberal government, Chandra Herbert demanded clear anti-homophobia policies in all school districts, the creation of a province wide tip-line to report cases of gay-bashings and investment in community services to aid victims of discrimination.
He added Crown attorneys should ask for hate crime designation in warranted cases and for Vancouver police to increase their police presence in Davie Village during the summer.
"My constituents are outraged when they hear about these kinds of attacks," Chandra Herbert explained in the first days of Pride Week. "In some sense there has been belief since we've won gay marriage everything is fine now, but that's not the lived experience that I know. "
"That's not the lived experience of constituents who tell me things are largely fine but ask why we're still being victimized for who we are."
Vancouver police Constable Lindsey Houghton said there would be an increased police presence in the West End for the Pride parade Sunday along with continued deployments during the Celebration of Light.
"If there are certain crime trends that require more officers, certainly we'll try to adjust our limited resources as best we can," he said.
Dharm Makwana reports for Vancouver 24 Hours. This story first appeared here.
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