Holding a huge black-and-white sign that read ‘zoning,’ and standing in front of the tent city at Regina Park, Tasha Diamant danced topless for about 30 minutes on the side of the Trans Canada Highway during lunch on Tuesday.
“I call it naked ugly dancing, I use my body as a medium to bring awareness [to issues such as] homelessness,” Diamant said.
A Saanich Police officer eventually moved her along, away from Camp Namegans, citing her as a safety distraction to drivers.
But Diamant, a performance activist and actor, got her point across anyways. Drivers honked and waved, though many gawked curiously to see what she was doing.
“I chose the word zoning, people think it’s an innocuous word but it’s really a loaded word,” Diamant said. “I don’t think it’s fair that people have to live here [at Regina Park]. I use my white privilege to stand up for people who are more vulnerable.”
Diamant, the “Hurtling Earthling,” is a stage four cancer survivor and a former Royal Roads University professor. In June she won the Montreal Fringe’s MainLine Theatre Creativity Award, as judged by the hosts.
