April 28, 2010 | Sex & Society

Dog was too 'gay' for restaurant

In May of 2009, a dog was barred from an Australian restaurant because the waiter thought the pooch was a little too fey. It didn't matter that it was a blind man's guide dog.

Last week, Ian Jolly, 57, took his case to a human rights tribunal, explaining how he was asked to leave the restaurant, Thai Spice, because a staff member thought the guide dog Nudge was a "gay dog."

The restaurant owners claimed the waiter had misheard Jolly's friend, thinking she had asked if it was okay to bring a "gay dog into the restaurant." They released a statement explaining: "The staff genuinely believed that Nudge was an ordinary pet dog which had been desexed to become a gay dog."

Yet when Jolly presented his guide dog card, and even though the restaurant had signs welcoming helper dogs, he was still told to leave.

The Equal Opportunity Tribunal found in favor of the dog and ordered Thai Spice to pay $1,500 in compensation. Staff at the restaurant will also be taking diversity training.

We just don't understand what the issue was anyway. Were there already homophobic pooches in the joint? Does a lispy woof spoil people's appetites?

'Gay' dog barred from restaurant [PinkNews]