A London (UK) man was allegedly turned down for a cat adoption because he’s gay. Then things got weird…
This is a 2017 post by Alex Andreou, a writer and actor based in the UK. I usually don’t write based on such an old post but decided to give it a go because this situation still happens today. How many adoption candidates are denied due to their lifestyle?
I have several male friends who are gay and I can tell you they have the CLEANEST homes I’ve ever visited.
After making the two-hour trip to meet the kitten that was advertised as needing a forever home, Alex believes he was turned down because he’s gay.
The cat adoption nightmare was recently revived in an article on BoredPanda. The link was sent to me for consideration for a story.
Alex posted the conversation he had with the adopter on his Twitter account in August 2017 and that post has been shared 17,271 times and gained 34,955 likes.
Alex did a reverse search on Google and learned the images were tied into a company that makes French windows. When confronted, the woman said the reason she used a stock photo is that she doesn’t have a camera and all cats look the same.
It’s sad that the cat may not even have existed and that the person advertising them appears quite stupid in her comments. Alex is a seasoned cat parent and has a good standing record with his vet. He also boasts a large enclosed outside space that would make an adopted cat very happy.
Next a friend of Alex was going to pick up the cats and had agreed to a home visit. Until the individual with the cat said she didn’t feel comfortable giving the cats up to an adopter without a home visit. Huh?! The entire adoption nightmare eventually fell through.
After being so harshly critisized and pretty much lied to, Amanda with @LillysLegacy got in touch with Alex and matched him up with George and Freddie who were part of a litter rescued.
There are several morals to this story. First of all, don’t judge people just because you don’t approve of their lifestyle (as long as the cat gets a safe and loving home). Be very careful when answering cat adoption ads. You never know who you’re meeting so be sure to meet in a safe place. Get references on the person placing the ad.
Thankfully, this story had a happy ending and two beautiful cats got a loving home. The person spewing such hate was reported for running a false ad and last, but high on the list of importance, Alex had the support of his friends when he was bashed by someone who has no clue of who he is.
Have any of the readers ran across any of these situations? Denied adoption because of your lifestyle? Answered a false internet ad? Ever faced a person adopting out a pet where the pet pictured in the ad isn’t the one you end up meeting?
Please tell your story in the comment section.
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Note: I’m not accustomed to writing about the LGBT community. I hope I haven’t offended anyone. I even messaged my daughter to be sure calling a man “gay” wouldn’t get me in social media trouble.
A gay couple sued a bakery in the US in a case that got national attention in the news. The bakery refused to sell a wedding cake to the couple based on what they claim were religious reasons, that their religion’s tenet is that homosexuality is a sin. The couple sued for discrimination based on sexual orientation and won. My opinion they won is because a person can decide not to do something solely for whatever personal reason like religious reasons they choose, but a business cannot discriminate based on race, gender, disability, religion, sex orientation, etc., under the ADA act in the US. I think it is a good decision because it separates personal feelings and how all businesses should operate. An individual can keep their convictions in personal situations/choices but cannot decide who should be able to do business with that company based on personal issues.
This is an interesting story. It worth discussing it again today because things have moved on even in one year. There is much more sensitivity towards LBGT rights, I believe.
There was a big discussion in the UK and legal case on whether sellers can dictate to whom they sell and whether the seller can refuse sell to clients who have a lifestyle or attitudes which the seller finds distasteful. They can.
However, there are limits because if it is based on color it’ll be racism. I think in this case the seller is bonkers but not doing something illegal.