SHARE
COPY LINK

LESBIAN

Lesbian compensated for prevented puppy purchase

Lesbians cannot be prevented from purchasing puppies in Sweden, according to a Stockholm appeals court.

Lesbian compensated for prevented puppy purchase
Photo: Kyle Kesselring

The court confirmed an earlier district court ruling in favor of a lesbian who had sought damages from a kennel owner who refused to sell her a puppy because of her sexual preference.

The kennel owner must now pay the woman 20,000 kronor ($3,000) in damages for subjecting her to discrimination and harassment.

The incident began when the woman called the kennel, based in the Stockholm suburb of Värmdö, to inquire about an advertisement for a puppy.

The woman told the kennel owner, 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 kennel owner learned that the woman’s partner was also a woman, she put a stop to the sale.

In her explanation for denying the woman her puppy, the kennel owner made reference to earlier contacts she’d had with transvestite couples, saying she’d read that transvestites are connected to animal pornography.

The kennel owner 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.

Both the district court and appeals court rulings were unanimous.

As part of the judgment, the kennel owner must also pay HomO’s approximately 45,000 kronor in legal fees.