Discrimination case in Sweden: Lesbian was refused the purchase of a dog
A Stockholm court ruling decided that homosexual citizens cannot be prevented from purchasing dogs in Sweden. The court confirmed an earlier district verdict in favour of a lesbian who had sought damages from a dog breeder who refused to sell her a puppy because of her sexual preference. The dog owner has to pay the woman 20,000 kronor ($3,000) in damages for subjecting her to discrimination and harassment and around 45,000 kronor in legal fees. The incident began when the woman called the breeder to inquire about an advertisement for a puppy. The woman told the dog breeder, who is also a woman that she liked animals and that she and her partner would have plenty of time to care for the dog since they were both students. But when the breeder got to know that the woman’s partner was also a woman, she put a stop to the sale. In her explanation for denying the woman her dog, the dog owner made reference to earlier contacts she had had with transvestite couples, saying she had read that transvestites are connected to animal pornography. She made it clear to the woman that she would not be allowed to buy the puppy because she didn’t trust homosexuals. The woman reported the incident to the Ombudsman against Discrimination on grounds of Sexual Orientation (HomO), which recommended the case to the courts.
