PRIVACY, SAFETY FEARS
Patio helps shield LGBTQ smokers
For members of the Gay and Lesbian Community of Regina (GLCR), Q Nightclub and Lounge is a safe place where they can relax and enjoy themselves. With changes coming to Regina’s smoking bylaw, there is now the concern the safe environment could be compromised by forcing members to smoke in a dark alley, away from the patio.
“In the past, and sometimes in very recent times, we have had incidents of eggs being thrown at the patio deck and instances of graffiti,” said Nathan Markwart, president of GLCR. “We have had times when members have been pushed, or subjected to lewd comments or gestures. This is what we want to avoid. We can avoid that through a reasonable exemption.”
Once the smoking bylaw change goes into effect on July 15, members will be required to smoke in the alley, or in the poorly lit parking lot behind the building.
Speaking to council on Monday night, Markwart asked for an exemption in the smoking bylaw to be put in place for patio smoking at the facility to protect the privacy and safety of its members.
“One of the main concerns, in addition to safety and security, was that of privacy of expression,” Markwart said. “There are members who may not feel comfortable identifying their attendance of the club, and may be struggling with their expression, be that gender expression or sexual orientation.”
City council did put forward a request to city administration to look at ways to increase safety around the club, through more alley lighting and with a greater police presence, but Markwart said this will not resolve the issue of protecting the privacy of members.
“You can be respectful of the process by allowing the person the dignity of some privacy to allow them to choose the time they want these expressions or orientations public,” Markwart said. “This is where increased lighting or resources are not going to resolve the issue. City councillors could solve this issue by enacting the exemption in the bylaw.”
Exemptions are in place in the new bylaw for vape shops to test their wares, and for outdoor traditional spiritual and cultural ceremonies.
Jefferson Wourms, a director with GLCR, saw the violence members face first-hand after he was attacked when leaving the club several years ago.
“I stepped out of the building and a gentleman came towards me and pushed me,” Wourms said. “I was on the ground and this gentleman was punching me in the face... I was fine in the morning but I have never left an establishment and had that occur. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know why, or the reason it happened.”
Wourms worries about the safety of its members who will now be forced to smoke away from the safety of the patio.
“We are basically telling our members that you have to go in the back parking lot,” Wourms said. “There is a good chance that some will be alone, or they may not know anyone to take with them. We are a volunteer-based organization. I can’t say to one of my volunteers that you have to stand in the alley tonight to make sure no one is assaulted.”
With the exemption being about the safety and privacy of members, Markwart would like councillors to come to the club to understand the situation better.
“I would encourage the councillors that did not balance our interests with the merits of the bylaw to attend the building and walk a day in some of our member’s lives,” he said. “In doing so, maybe they can have a more full understanding of the complicated nature of the implications of enacting the bylaw.”
GLCR’s Q Nightclub and Lounge is a community-owned and operated facility, providing a safe place for LBGTQ individuals to visit, fundraise and socialize.