HomO - Definition and Overview

HomO is the Swedish office of the ombudsman against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation (Ombudsmannen mot diskriminering på grund av sexuell läggning). HomO is the most recently instituted Swedish ombudsman, in the sense of a government official who addresses the complaints of individual citizens.

The term HomO is used both to refer to the office, currently with a staff of seven, and as the title of its government-appointed acting head, at present HomO Hans Ytterberg. HomO is the officially mandated short form, but is not a true acronym or abbreviation. Instead the word alludes to both homo = homosexual and to traditional Swedish ombudsman abbreviations which do expand into descriptive terms, such as JämO = JämställdhetsOmbudsmannen (Equal Opportunities Ombudsman).

HomO investigates the grievances of individuals and files class action suits on their behalf, for example a pending action against a restaurant which had allegedly harassed a lesbian couple. The HomO office also takes a number of initiatives of its own and submits parliamentary proposals, most recently for a gender neutral marriage act.

External link

Official site for HomO (http://www.homo.se/o.o.i.s?id=1210) (English)