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Restaurant Refused To Serve Blind Man Because of His "Gay" Dog

Posted by samzenpus on from the unnatural-service-animal dept.

What happens when a staff member of your restaurant thinks that a "guide dog" is a "gay dog" and refuses service to a blind man because of his dog's sexual preference? You give the man a written apology, attend an Equal Opportunity education course, pay him $1,500, and end up in the Idle section. From the article: "A statement given by restaurant owners Hong Hoa Thi To and Anh Hoang Le said one of the waiters had understood Mr. Jolly's partner Chris Lawrence 'to be saying she wanted to bring a gay dog into the restaurant. The staff genuinely believed that Nudge was an ordinary pet dog which had been desexed to become a gay dog,' the statement said. Mr. Jolly and Ms. Lawrence were refused entry to the restaurant — which displays a 'guide dogs welcome' sign — even after providing staff with a guide dogs fact card."

32 comments

  1. to be fair... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...that dog *does* look a little gay

  2. the Lawrences are cunts by FuckingNickName · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I can understand being a bit annoyed that restaurant staff can't understand your Australian, and would appreciate an apology and perhaps recommend that the restaurant send its staff on a basic English course.

    But an Equal Opportunities Reneducation class because someone misunderstood "guide" as "gay" and then correctly refused entry of a random dog, gay or otherwise? Accepting $1500 because of the no harm that's been done to you? That's just playing the disabled card to gain special favours, and makes things harder for decent people who happen to be disabled.

    1. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by unts · · Score: 1

      1. The member of staff acted with prejudice towards sexuality, so I think the punishment is fair.
      2. They were so dim-witted as to not figure out that they'd misheard the person, what with the GUIDE DOG AT HIS SIDE and all... they shouldn't be in that job, or have some serious learning to do.
      3. It would be nice to see the $1500 go to a charity, but its their choice.

    2. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by FuckingNickName · · Score: 0

      1. The member of staff acted with prejudice towards sexuality, so I think the punishment is fair.

      Oh, really? Do you have any evidence? If I brought a baboon into a supermarket, would that be OK? If I pointed out that my baboon was gay, would it be homophobic to refuse the beast entry?

      2. They were so dim-witted as to not figure out that they'd misheard the person, what with the GUIDE DOG AT HIS SIDE and all... they shouldn't be in that job, or have some serious learning to do.

      Correct. That's how business works - if you fuck up, you learn or you fail at business. An apology and some English lessons would be a fine start. Payment and an "equal opportunity" course are recipes to get the prejudiced to treat the disabled with undeserved contempt on the basis of one arsehole.

      3. It would be nice to see the $1500 go to a charity, but its their choice.

      It might be, but it shouldn't be. Equal opportunity is about the guy with the guide dog having an equal opportunity to dine at the restaurant. There's nothing about my lack of blindness which gives me the opportunity to gain $1500 from the restaurant, so there's nothing about his blindness which should give him the opportunity to do so.

    3. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Why do you hate gay baboons?

    4. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ok, somebody up-Moderated the Flaimbait by FuckingNickName by calling the Lawrences "cunts" because they didn't protest against being discriminated against for being disabled. Somebody moderated my observation that it was FuckingNickName for being a cunt because neoconservatives like himself always like to kick people when they are down. Would the moderators like to spend their Moderator points knocking this observation down as well? There is a distinct lack of fairness and balance in the world, and the pro-neoconservative moderators are just one very, very small example of what is wrong.

    5. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      Why do you hate gay baboons?

      Aren't all baboons gay?

      ...
      ...
      O, sorry, I confused them with bonobos.

    6. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      You'd think the fact that THE MAN WAS BLIND would have been a major hint that this was actually a guide dog!

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    7. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe you should read the article - this isn't about the fact the dog was gay, it's about refusing entry to a blind person. The equal opportunities class has nothing to do with them thinking it was a "gay" dog - gay dogs don't get equal opportunities as straight dogs, at least are not guaranteed it by law, but blind people are.

      So maybe next time, yeah, read.

    8. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i fucking love you (no homo)

    9. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by BlueKitties · · Score: 2, Informative

      Did you even read the /. summary? It clearly said they refused entry even after the dog's papers as a guide dog were shown. In otherwords, they refused entry thinking it was gay, and after proving it was a guide dog, they still refused entry because they thought it was 'also' gay. lurn2read, engrish plox, etc etc.

      --
      "Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad." [Ecclesiastes 7:3]
    10. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they misunderstood "guide" as "gay" they're hardly going to be able to interpret "the dog's papers" (Papiere, Hund!).

      You're taking an angle so obtuse it's pining to be straight.

    11. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Fenresulven · · Score: 1

      Oh, really? Do you have any evidence? If I brought a baboon into a supermarket, would that be OK? If I pointed out that my baboon was gay, would it be homophobic to refuse the beast entry?

      You're an idiot, allow me to quote the fucking SUMMARY for you:

      "A statement given by restaurant owners Hong Hoa Thi To and Anh Hoang Le said one of the waiters had understood Mr. Jolly's partner Chris Lawrence 'to be saying she wanted to bring a gay dog into the restaurant. The staff genuinely believed that Nudge was an ordinary pet dog which had been desexed to become a gay dog,' the statement said. Mr. Jolly and Ms. Lawrence were refused entry to the restaurant -- which displays a 'guide dogs welcome' sign -- even after providing staff with a guide dogs fact card."

      They displayed a sign with the text "Guide dogs welcome" and then denied the dog access since they confused it for a gay dog. Yes, it WAS homophobic to deny the dog entry.

    12. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they misunderstood "guide" as "gay" they're hardly going to be able to interpret "the dog's papers" (Papiere, Hund!).

      You're taking an angle so obtuse it's pining to be straight.

      If that is the case, then they also would not have been able to read or sign the license agreement to operate a restaurant, including the part about allowing guide dogs inside.

      You're taking an angle so obtuse it's pining to be straight. Though in this case I think the restaurateurs (as is my experience with people who speak more than one language) conveniently fail to understand English when it suits their needs.

    13. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by darthflo · · Score: 1

      [They] denied the dog access since they confused it for a gay dog.

      From what I can gather from TFS, they deny access to any dog - regardless of its sexual preferences. They make an exeption for guide dogs, because many blind people rely on these to, well, guide them. Mistaking guide for gay, the denier probably didn't realize he might be dealing with a guide dog, straight or not. The dog's skimpy leathery outfit might've played some part in the confusion as well. You might expect a gay dog to wear such a thing, or a guide dog, but both? At the same time? Who'd think of such a thing?

    14. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reeducation camps - popular since Marx.

    15. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by wisnoskij · · Score: 1

      I do not see how they could not know it was a guide dog, they were even given a fact card.
      Maybe they thought it was a guy guide dog.

      --
      Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
    16. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Dthief · · Score: 1
      I agree with you EXCEPT:

      Mr. Jolly and Ms. Lawrence were refused entry to the restaurant — which displays a 'guide dogs welcome' sign — even after providing staff with a guide dogs fact card."

      especially the last part

      --
      www.RacquetUp.org - Helping Detroit Youth
    17. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Dthief · · Score: 1

      Mr. Jolly and Ms. Lawrence were refused entry to the restaurant — which displays a 'guide dogs welcome' sign — even after providing staff with a guide dogs fact card." Note that guide dogs are welcome, and the restaurant staff/owners are apparently illiterate

      --
      www.RacquetUp.org - Helping Detroit Youth
    18. Re:the Lawrences are cunts by Golddess · · Score: 1
      Your own quoted section of TFS disproves you.

      The staff genuinely believed that Nudge was an ordinary pet dog which had been desexed to become a gay dog,

      So while they thought the dog was gay, they also thought the dog was not, I repeat, not a guide dog.

      Or to put it another way...

      They displayed a sign with the text "Guide dogs welcome" and then denied the dog access since they confused it for an ordinary pet (aka, non-guide) dog.

      FTFY.

      --
      "I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
  3. May I bring my guide dog to Colour Cologne? by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1
    No, because they won't sell any tickets to a blind man. Indeed, they use Ticketpod as their sole ticket outlet, and ticketpod only supports ordering via a proprietary flash applet which conveniently shuts out any blind person and his screen reader or braille line.

    However, you're more than welcome to bring a gay dog :-)

    1. Re:May I bring my guide dog to Colour Cologne? by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't happen in the good ol' USA... the Americans with Disabilities Act forbids this type of douchebaggery. We even have braille keyboards on drive up ATMs!

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    2. Re:May I bring my guide dog to Colour Cologne? by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't happen in the good ol' USA... the Americans with Disabilities Act forbids this type of douchebaggery. We even have braille keyboards on drive up ATMs!

      For good reason. Who said the person using the ATM has to be the driver?

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    3. Re:May I bring my guide dog to Colour Cologne? by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      ATMs don't talk... it is pretty much impossible to use an ATM without seeing the screen. Sure, you could memorize the entire sequence of screens, but then the first time they updated the software, you'd be screwed. Also, if you have a driver, wouldn't it be easier and faster to just let the driver do the transaction?

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    4. Re:May I bring my guide dog to Colour Cologne? by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      On the contrary, ATMs DO talk. They even have headphone jacks for this specific purpose. In addition to that, there is no cost-effective reason to strip the Braille and talking abilities from a drive-up ATM. The physical layout is a bit different, but there's no reason the software or basic hardware needs to be.

      I would rather handle my banking needs personally rather than by proxy. I don't see why a blind person would be any different. Say they're pulling up to the ATM in a taxi. Do YOU trust a cabbie to handle your transaction? Really? Even if you can trust them to be honest, can you trust them not to make a mistake? Do you want them knowing your PIN if you should ever leave your wallet in their cab?

      Mal-2

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    5. Re:May I bring my guide dog to Colour Cologne? by Nexzus · · Score: 2, Funny

      At IBM Burnaby (and probably alot of other places) they had signs on the inside of the washroom doors - "Remember to Wash Your Hands" with the braille translation underneath.

      --
      Karma: Can only be portioned out by the Cosmos.
    6. Re:May I bring my guide dog to Colour Cologne? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Europe and the US both have laws protecting the disabled. In both places, enforcement is spotty. So, it can happen in either place.

    7. Re:May I bring my guide dog to Colour Cologne? by canajin56 · · Score: 1

      Every ATM I've seen has a headphone jack. If you plug your headphones into it, you'll find that it has, in fact, been talking this whole time!

      --
      ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
  4. Just another case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of ignorant immigrants not bothering to learn the language. Can't tell the difference between the word "guide" and "gay" and wouldn't know it if they could hear it.

  5. Interesting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are dogs protected by hate crime legislation?