Experiencing racism and xenophobia when coming to CA to help with Covid

[xwill327]

As a travel nurse, I expect to experience whatever is thrown at me. What I experienced at Metropolitan State Hospital was beyond my expectations. It was an unbelievable encounter with rudeness, hate, racism, and xenophobia. 

On the first day at the facility, the staff was extremely rude to all of us who picked up to come work and help with COVID. All my travel colleagues would agree and could speak to the disrespect given to us. I thought this may not be a place for me to work and almost quit. Wanting to stay in SoCal I continued the contract. 

The extreme hate began on the inpatient unit. A psych tech and I were having a talk about life. I mentioned my “gay culture” to him and he replied, “what is gay culture.” In an aggressive manner. I saw his body language change, eye contact decrease and his fists even ball up. When I explained gay culture is my lifestyle he harshly stated, “That doesn’t exist. All gay people should come to Nigeria and be killed.” I replied stating that would never happen to me and I would protect myself in any way I needed. But I was fearful and shocked that someone could say that. I never reported this but spoke to a friend about what I could do to protect gay patients in hospitals, especially a state-run facility. 

The next situation happened more recently causing me to resign. The snowball effect of hate forced me to never return. A person who came over risking my own health to care for COVID patients had to run far away. I also signed a lease in Long Beach so could not even return home after such a horrific experience. 

So it started on another unit where I was talking shop with this shift lead on unit 409. We were talking shop and election results. The shift lead name Dia stated, “ I support Donald Trump because he is crazy like our patients so we should take care of him like we do our patients.” Her using the word crazy to describe a person with mental illness was alarming in itself. When you hear what happened next, that doesn’t even compare. I am someone who is asked every day, “Are you Arabic or Muslim? Are you from the Middle East?”, she intensely and rudely stated to me, “All Muslims should go back to where they came from!”

I was beside myself and had to leave the office and go to another unit. I absolutely told her she was xenophobic and doesn’t take care of “crazy” people because she hasn’t moved from the desk. I reported it to the manager right away and said I can not work there. They moved me to another unit. I am unsure if any action was taken, but I highly doubt it. The manager did not take any of my information. I quit and no one from the facility had reached out to me (5 days after I am writing this). 

I believe some form of justice should be served. Staff has said this is the culture of Metro and they are not surprised. Taxpayer money of gay and Muslim civilians alike find this facility and pay the salary of those who hate them and verbally express it freely. I fear for the patients who fit the criteria of what some of these staff members see less than and believe should be dead or deported. 

Please respond with helpful advice? How should I move forward to get justice?

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

6 minutes ago, cynical-RN said:

I respect where you are coming from. Indeed, it is not my place as a straight man to tell you how to feel as a gay man. I think the argument here is the appropriateness of location relative to professionalism. I think such a casual conversation in the cafeteria is innocuous juxtaposed to the nurses' station, OR, patient room etc. And sometimes, the things straight people ask out of curiosity and ignorance should be considered a teaching moment. I recall once when a lesbian lady said she was planning to get pregnant. I was amused and confused. Out of about 10 people, I was the only one who asked how that will happen. Everyone was thinking it, but afraid to ask. Unlike someone like the OP who is seeking to be conveniently outraged, she explained the process and pleasantly addressed my ignorance. Later, she thanked me for asking. Apparently, answering it in the form of an asked question is better than just divulging intimate details like that sans solicitation. 

Thank you.  It's hard to hide - it takes a lot of effort.  I never told previous co-workers (even those I was close to) that I took a two-week vacation to Provincetown, Massachusetts in 2005 because I was marrying a man (a time when Mitt Romney was governor!).  Looking back, it was fear of a backlash that made me do that...never again!

[NurseBlaq]

On 11/17/2020 at 6:44 AM, HiddencatBSN said:

I’m responding to what is being directly and clearly communicated in this thread, that advocacy for LGBTQ+ issues has no place in our work as nurses and that the OP needs to keep their head down and shut up. We treat people who are part of this community, and bigoted views among nurses impact patient care. How do I explain that LGBTQ+ people disagree with that? It’s not a monolithic community and we don’t all agree. And it’s probably a reflection of how widespread discrimination against non-cishet people is.

Suggesting that those of us who disagree are engaged in performative allyship is presuming that those who disagree with you aren’t also part of the LGBTQ+ themselves. 

Regardless of the OP’s behavior here, nursing staff reacting to their sexuality and ethnicity with aggressive and violent words and body language is deeply concerning for the care LGBTQ+ and non-white patients are receiving at that hospital.
 

 

What? None of that has any bearing on anything I said. You made up a whole rant about something completely irrelevant and tried to pose as if it's any indication or relative to my POV. Not buying it. SMH

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

1 hour ago, NurseBlaq said:

And lastly, if someone is uncomfortable with a topic and you discuss it anyway, ie no matter what, then yes you're intentionally engaging them in uncomfortable conversations. You're so busy looking for a reason to make everyone be offensive that you're passing by the point and going against your own logic. ?

You seem so triggered by my comments.  I have no idea if the OP saying "I will discuss my sexuality no matter what" meant that the co-worker was uncomfortable with a topic (his sexuality) and he kept discussing it anyway.  I didn't get that from the OP's post.

[NurseBlaq]

1 hour ago, juan de la cruz said:

Cool.  Well I know to stay away from you then.  I actually don't think the question is neither nosy nor homophobic.  It's just harmless conversation.  I would actually answer the question honestly and not tell them off.

I think anyone asking me personal questions is being nosy. I divulge information sparingly and what I choose to share. I have worked with some heathens and know some outside of work. I'm a private person by nature. I'm one of those type of people where I'll tell you what I want you to know and I don't ask anything from you I wouldn't divulge myself. Whom you sleep with and your sexuality is not what I go around asking people. As I said before, I've had LGBTQ coworkers, some were open, others closeted but I knew because my brother is gay, I didn't out them it wasn't my business to tell nor did I ask because obviously they didn't want people to know. If they were open, I didn't judge them or have a problem with that either. Either way, I didn't treat them any different than anyone else. People tell you what they want you to know is how I see it. Some share things willingly while others choose to keep things professional only. I meet people where they're at and respect their choice.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

Just now, NurseBlaq said:

I think anyone asking me personal questions is being nosy. I divulge information sparingly and what I choose to share. I have worked with some heathens and know some outside of work. I'm a private person by nature. I'm one of those type of people where I'll tell you what I want you to know and I don't ask anything from you I wouldn't divulge myself. Whom you sleep with and your sexuality is not what I go around asking people. As I said before, I've had LGBTQ coworkers, some were open, others closeted but I knew because my brother is gay, I didn't out them it wasn't my business to tell nor did I ask because obviously they didn't want people to know. If they were open, I didn't judge them or have a problem with that either. Either way, I didn't treat them any different than anyone else. People tell you what they want you to know is how I see it. Some share things willingly while others choose to keep things professional only. I meet people where they're at and respect their choice.

Like I said, I know to stay away from you, you don't need to explain.

[Guest856929]

14 minutes ago, juan de la cruz said:

Thank you.  It's hard to hide - it takes a lot of effort.  I never told previous co-workers (even those I was close to) that I took a two-week vacation to Provincetown, Massachusetts in 2005 because I was marrying a man (a time when Mitt Romney was governor!).  Looking back, it was fear of a backlash that made me do that...never again!

How do we remedy that fear of backlash while considering people whose religious tenets are antithetical to the gay culture? I am irreligious, just playing the devil's advocate. Is there a middle ground? or ultimately, people will have to denounce the Abrahamic religions I.e. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism because inherently these religions are mutually exclusive with homosexuality. I am posing these questions to genuinely enrich the dialogue and not detract from it. I should not even mention that, but comprehension herein by some leaves much to be desired. 

[NurseBlaq]

4 minutes ago, juan de la cruz said:

You seem so triggered by my comments.  I have no idea if the OP saying "I will discuss my sexuality no matter what" meant that the co-worker was uncomfortable with a topic (his sexuality) and he kept discussing it anyway.  I didn't get that from the OP's post.

Not triggered at all. You just seem to be looking for issues where they don't exist. Reading your latest posts I see why. You've experienced some things, I get it. But not everyone is those people and not everyone is a homophobe yet you seem to seek it where it doesn't exist or take things out of context to make them an attack when that's wrong as well. We got different things from Kween's post but the thing is, a lot of people in this thread have my same POV so it isn't a random opinion of mine that I made up in my head.

2 minutes ago, juan de la cruz said:

Like I said, I know to stay away from you, you don't need to explain.

And there it is. You need a reason to be offended and create them where they don't exist. Yes, stay away. Thank you!

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

12 minutes ago, cynical-RN said:

How do we remedy that fear of backlash while considering people whose religious tenets are antithetical to the gay culture? I am irreligious, just playing the devil's advocate. Is there a middle ground? or ultimately, people will have to denounce the Abrahamic religions I.e. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism because inherently these religions are mutually exclusive with homosexuality. I am posing these questions to genuinely enrich the dialogue and not detract from it. I should not even mention that, but comprehension herein by some leaves much to be desired. 

I think homophobes who spout hateful rhetoric will always exist.  That's why I was giving the OP the benefit of the doubt.  I have seen it firsthand.  To me, it doesn't matter how repulsive a gay person acts, no one deserves that kind of response. Like we say nowadays "never blame the victim".  I have family, friends, and neighbors who are deeply Christian and they don't act in such a hateful manner.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

4 minutes ago, juan de la cruz said:

 

 

[allnurses Admin Team]

Closed for review.