November 8, 2022
“I'm a big karaoke fan. But I’m still reeling from the last time I went. My partner and I were doing a favourite Wham! song, hamming it up, when the server yelled at us, swearing, saying we didn’t belong there and the gay bar was down the street. The whole place heard it. We both sort of froze — how do you respond to that? Later, we reported the incident to the manager. They assured us the server would be disciplined.”
– B.H., Richmond, BC
Human rights law helps protect everyone from discrimination. But that doesn't mean all bad behaviour amounts to discrimination. There are specific parts of someone's identity — like race, sexual orientation, and any disability — where the law applies.
Our expanded coverage of discrimination explains the protected characteristics under BC law. And it focusses on some of the more typical circumstances facing British Columbians. Things like:
Understanding what amounts to discrimination is the starting point. We also walk you through the steps you can take to deal with discrimination. Our pages explain how to write down your story, what you need to show to prove discrimination, and how to raise your concerns with the other party or in other ways.
Should the discrimination persist, we walk you through the process of making a human rights complaint. Learn what kinds of awards you can get in a discrimination claim, how to file your complaint, how to prepare for a hearing, and more.