The story of the writer who was told he couldn’t adopt two cats because he was gay, which appalled Twitter, has had a happy ending.
Alex Andreou, who is also an actor, tweeted how he wanted to adopt two cats that “desperately needed rehoming”, travelled two hours to get them but was turned down once he said he was gay.
He shared a text exchange with the cat owner, who said she disapproved of his sexuality on religious grounds and asked: “Are you not afraid of going to hell when you die?”
The events left Andreou crying on the bus home, but after sharing his story online, the saga took on a new twist.
Labour MP Stella Creasy, Times columnist Danny Finkelstein and the RSPCA were among those who tweeted their support.
He also had a rush of offers from people who had cats who needed rehousing.
He shared the results: Two brothers he named George Meowchael-Andreou and Freddie Purrcury-Andreou.
The pair are from a rescue litter and will living with Andreou after they are neutered next Friday.
He tweeted his thanks to Lilly’s Legacy, the cat shelter whose reaction to his story “was like the warmest hug”.
He joked he would raise the cats “SUPERQUEER” in revenge.
He added: “Screw bigotry. Kindness wins.”
A spokesman for LGBT rights charity Stonewall told the Evening Standard: “This is a classic example of the daily discrimination lesbian, gay, bi and trans people continue to face just for being themselves.
“Who you love makes has no impact on how well you can care for a cat. Pets don’t discriminate, and people shouldn’t either.”
In another twist to the story, Andreou established the woman who refused him the cats was using fake photos on her advert and had repeatedly refused people who wanted to adopt them for months.
He reported her advert so that it was taken down, reported it to the police and told her to “get a fucking life”.