Apparently it’s a crime to hate yoga in Vancouver. Kind of.
Jean Wharf learned that the hard way when she was barred from getting on the SkyTrain for wearing a button that said “F— Yoga.”
It wasn’t the sentiment that offended the transit officer but the use of the F-word, which he said opposed TransLink’s policies relating to vulgar and offensive language, Wharf told Metro.
“He grabbed me … and said I wasn’t getting on the train unless I removed the pin,” Wharf said, adding she refused and walked home instead.
“No one has the right to put their hands on me.”
Robert Holmes, president of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said he understands transit police removing passengers for causing a disturbance.
“But if someone doesn’t like a button, you can turn your eyes away,” he said.
“How do you stop people from (reading) a book that may have the F-word in it, or may use it in conversation with a friend? It’s just beyond the pale that they’d … weed out somebody who wasn’t causing a problem.”
TransLink spokesperson Ken Hardie said he can’t speak to the specific incident, but he did say the company has policies about passenger courtesy, including foul language in any form.
“What we’re trying to do is get people from one place to another in as pleasant a way as possible,” he said.
“If people don’t respect that, they may be asked to leave.”
