Experiencing racism and xenophobia when coming to CA to help with Covid
I’m a psych travel nurse who had a horrendous experience at Metropolis State Hospital in Norwalk, CA as I attempted to come help with Covid, putting my life at risk.
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?
I don't think anyone in this thread has not acknowledged those coworkers were wrong, OP has the right to his/her sexual preference, and those employees should have been fired because they also take care of patients in the LGBTQ community. The problem is OP's behavior. They didn't "get heated", they've been rude and dismissive of any response that doesn't call for those employees to be stoned or burned at the stake.
Also, no one starts a new job and just divulges all their personal business, sexuality, or not just personal overall, without knowing their new cohorts on some form of a personal level. And by personal level, I mean you know their personalities, their mannerisms, whether y'all vibe or not, etc. And those aren't hard to distinguish just by working with them and getting to know them.
Nevertheless, based on the responses, one has to wonder if OP divulged their sexual preference in order to create conflict or it was just literally a random conversation. What was the topic of discussion? Again, the coworkers were wrong but all of them aren't jerks. All of them? Sometimes it's about attitude and not sexual preference. And yet again, based upon OP's responses here, I don't think all of the drama is relative to their sexuality. I can't go around being a jerk to everyone then accuse them of racism if I'm literally a solid jerk. Yes, some may be racist, but not all of them are.
And what professional goes looking for a fight all the time? We go to work to take care of patients, make money to support ourselves and our families, and you may make a few cohort friends here and there. But what you don't do, is go seeking conflict. You can't change the minds of others but you can control how you think and if you know someone is on some bull ignore them and only deal with them on a professional level. I've done it many times. I don't live with them, don't sleep with them, what they think and how they feel don't pay my bills. You have to choose your battles and with OP's mentality he/she will stay in battle. Not everyone is accepting of the LGBTQ lifestyle and that's just how it is and has always been. Granted, people are more welcoming today of the LGBTQ lifestyle but there will always be people on some bull no matter what the issue is, LGBTQ isn't any different.
And to those of y'all trying to act like OP is some victim of a pile on here, they also dismissed a fellow LGBTQ member earlier in the thread who I'm sure understands OP's gripe and has experienced it. How do you explain that? Maybe OP just wants drama. ?
I agree that whatever was said to you was Inappropriate, but if someone said to be “all gays should die, and I was in fact gay” I would immediately report it. It sounds as though there was some tit for tat here.
I don't think anyone in this thread has not acknowledged those coworkers were wrong, OP has the right to his/her sexual preference, and those employees should have been fired because they also take care of patients in the LGBTQ community. The problem is OP's behavior. They didn't "get heated", they've been rude and dismissive of any response that doesn't call for those employees to be stoned or burned at the stake.
Also, no one starts a new job and just divulges all their personal business, sexuality, or not just personal overall, without knowing their new cohorts on some form of a personal level. And by personal level, I mean you know their personalities, their mannerisms, whether y'all vibe or not, etc. And those aren't hard to distinguish just by working with them and getting to know them.
Nevertheless, based on the responses, one has to wonder if OP divulged their sexual preference in order to create conflict or it was just literally a random conversation. What was the topic of discussion? Again, the coworkers were wrong but all of them aren't jerks. All of them? Sometimes it's about attitude and not sexual preference. And yet again, based upon OP's responses here, I don't think all of the drama is relative to their sexuality. I can't go around being a jerk to everyone then accuse them of racism if I'm literally a solid jerk. Yes, some may be racist, but not all of them are.
And what professional goes looking for a fight all the time? We go to work to take care of patients, make money to support ourselves and our families, and you may make a few cohort friends here and there. But what you don't do, is go seeking conflict. You can't change the minds of others but you can control how you think and if you know someone is on some bull ignore them and only deal with them on a professional level. I've done it many times. I don't live with them, don't sleep with them, what they think and how they feel don't pay my bills. You have to choose your battles and with OP's mentality he/she will stay in battle. Not everyone is accepting of the LGBTQ lifestyle and that's just how it is and has always been. Granted, people are more welcoming today of the LGBTQ lifestyle but there will always be people on some bull no matter what the issue is, LGBTQ isn't any different.
And to those of y'all trying to act like OP is some victim of a pile on here, they also dismissed a fellow LGBTQ member earlier in the thread who I'm sure understands OP's gripe and has experienced it. How do you explain that? Maybe OP just wants drama. ?
Attitudes (and quality of healthcare) are not static regarding marginalized groups and it is *because* people stopped “keeping their heads down” so I’m not sure what alternate history the poster whose opinion you tokenized for your argument is reading about the lgbtq+ rights movement history (and present). Did you take a poll of everyone’s sexuality before deciding which queer perspective here is the right one before posting?
Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
I have no idea where Norwalk, CA is aside from it being in LA County but as someone who made a move from the Midwest to the SF Bay Area, I would have to say, I've never been in such a work environment so accepting of the diversity in humanity's race and ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Those statements made to the OP in the workplace creates a hostile work environment and should be reported to whoever is in charge of enforcing the company's EEO compliance especially since OP named the actual facility.
Attitudes (and quality of healthcare) are not static regarding marginalized groups and it is *because* people stopped “keeping their heads down” so I’m not sure what alternate history the poster whose opinion you tokenized for your argument is reading about the lgbtq+ rights movement history (and present). Did you take a poll of everyone’s sexuality before deciding which queer perspective here is the right one before posting?
I'm speaking to the OP's attitude and situation in this thread. Why are you offensive and accusing people of saying/doing/having attitudes about things unsaid or not relayed in this thread? This isn't personal, it's a reflection of the information and attitude provided by the OP. Again, how do you explain OP dismissing people who are apart of the LGBTQ community who also replied in this thread and have the same view as the rest of us? Get over yourself.
Being gay is who I am and a characteristic. I will discuss it anywhere I choose to. Work, gym, a republican convention ?. Biting your tongue and staying quiet just feeds into keeping what’s normal to society all there is out there. I have to hear about people’s kids graduation and having a baby which I care less about. I will discuss being gay and liberal all day!
Just as you want to say what you want to, so others are free to respond as they want to and to bring up various topics that interest them. Believe it or not, not everyone applauds the lifestyles or opinions of others. You don't, do you? So why expect everyone to applaud yours?
You sound like you expect to be thanked for traveling. You actually might have had an altruistic motivation for traveling but don't expect everyone to be glad or grateful or thrilled that you are traveling. Some might be jealous. And some couldn't care less or be glad they don't travel.
I, like you, find it tiring to hear about some of the things coworkers talk about. I have learned to discuss only the most impersonal of topics at work. Even then, it is possible that someone will take offense.
For the future, just talk about work at work. If someone wants to share more personal information about themselves or tell you their views about non-work topics, I think it is best to do that outside of work or during a break.
But I really think it's best to keep to work topics. I really had a bellyful of hearing about my coworker's sex life on my last job. She practically shouted it from the rafters, right at the desk and where patients could hear. Every day. Repeatedly. Just so immature and wrong.
So you are free, of course, to live your life as you see fit, but so is everyone else. You might want to limit the topics you talk about at work if you don't want to hear opinions or remarks that might anger or hurt you. I imagine coworkers might also be glad not to have to hear things they find upsetting.
I never have my head down and my mouth will always run for what’s good for society. You sound like a a bay boomer who allowed all this racism. Please stay out of my comments with that negativity
On a public forum like this, you really can't demand that people with views differing from yours not comment.
What do you expect others to do when your mouth is running about what you think is good for society - but they don't happen to share your opinion? If I were the supervisor and I had a traveler behaving in a provocative way, especially more than once, I would take moves to get that traveler gone. Work is for work, not for socializing, not for proclaiming your views, not for demanding that anyone care about or respect or agree with you. Work. Come to work to work. Have the other interactions on your own time. Even then you can't expect that everyone will agree with you.
On a public forum like this, you really can't demand that people with views differing from yours not comment.
What do you expect others to do when your mouth is running about what you think is good for society - but they don't happen to share your opinion? If I were the supervisor and I had a traveler behaving in a provocative way, especially more than once, I would take moves to get you gone. Work if for work, not for socializing, not for proclaiming your views. Work. Come to work to work. Have the other interactions on your own time.
I am not here to be polite. I am sharing my story to make awareness and to FIGHT. trust me it goes beyond this forum!
The workplace LEGALLY needs to be a safe space where you are free to be who you are, and that INCLUDES Your gender identity. The issue is not that people at work are saying these things, its the fact that management and staff in supervisory positions are spouting hateful and discriminatory rhetoric that contributes to a hostile and unsafe working environment. There are laws that prohibit discrimination in the workplace.IN ANY WORKPLACE. So anti-muslim and anti-gay rhetoric is NEVER NEVER OK.
The fact that no one commented in this way is alarming!
I would never want to work with you. Not because you're gay, not because you're liberal, but because you're toxic. Words are not violence. No one came up and punched you, threatened you, or fired you because you're gay or liberal. I don't have time to talk about politics, people's lives at work. I'm with the patients talking, doing treatment planning, talking with family members. Psych is not handing someone some pills and watching them for the rest of the day. If you do not have appropriate work boundaries and talk about your personal beliefs you cannot shout "oppression" when other people from a variety of backgrounds disagree with you. You are not morally superior because your personal experiences have shaped you as others have their own beliefs based on their experiences. No one's experience in life is the same. I would hate to see how you treat the psych patients who are cis, older, their ethnicity based on your preconceived notions of what all people in those categories must be like. Drop the victim mentality, do your job. If you can't do that at work I would suggest something other than psychiatry and going to therapy. You can be an activist but the place is not at work. You have a responsibility as a nurse to care for people equally regardless of race, gender, sexuality (yes, heterosexual too), religious beliefs (yes, conservative too!), age (yes, boomers too!) etc etc etc
This post saddens me in so many ways but the biggest is the keep your head down mentality. Racism, Sexism and xenophobia need to be rooted out especially for the needs of our patients. I wouldn't want my family member cared for by someone expressing thoughts about killing someone due to their gender, orientation, race, etc no matter how triggered someone made them.
This post saddens me in so many ways but the biggest is the keep your head down mentality. Racism, Sexism and xenophobia need to be rooted out especially for the needs of our patients. I wouldn't want my family member cared for by someone expressing thoughts about killing someone due to their gender, orientation, race, etc no matter how triggered someone made them.
Nobody here is advocating for racism, sexism, or xenophobia. It’s important to know the appropriate time and place to discuss these issues and it’s certainly not while providing the care that you’d like your loved ones to get from the undivided attention of providers.
NurseBlaq
1,756 Posts
I don't think anyone in this thread has not acknowledged those coworkers were wrong, OP has the right to his/her sexual preference, and those employees should have been fired because they also take care of patients in the LGBTQ community. The problem is OP's behavior. They didn't "get heated", they've been rude and dismissive of any response that doesn't call for those employees to be stoned or burned at the stake.
Also, no one starts a new job and just divulges all their personal business, sexuality, or not just personal overall, without knowing their new cohorts on some form of a personal level. And by personal level, I mean you know their personalities, their mannerisms, whether y'all vibe or not, etc. And those aren't hard to distinguish just by working with them and getting to know them.
Nevertheless, based on the responses, one has to wonder if OP divulged their sexual preference in order to create conflict or it was just literally a random conversation. What was the topic of discussion? Again, the coworkers were wrong but all of them aren't jerks. All of them? Sometimes it's about attitude and not sexual preference. And yet again, based upon OP's responses here, I don't think all of the drama is relative to their sexuality. I can't go around being a jerk to everyone then accuse them of racism if I'm literally a solid jerk. Yes, some may be racist, but not all of them are.
And what professional goes looking for a fight all the time? We go to work to take care of patients, make money to support ourselves and our families, and you may make a few cohort friends here and there. But what you don't do, is go seeking conflict. You can't change the minds of others but you can control how you think and if you know someone is on some bull ignore them and only deal with them on a professional level. I've done it many times. I don't live with them, don't sleep with them, what they think and how they feel don't pay my bills. You have to choose your battles and with OP's mentality he/she will stay in battle. Not everyone is accepting of the LGBTQ lifestyle and that's just how it is and has always been. Granted, people are more welcoming today of the LGBTQ lifestyle but there will always be people on some bull no matter what the issue is, LGBTQ isn't any different.
And to those of y'all trying to act like OP is some victim of a pile on here, they also dismissed a fellow LGBTQ member earlier in the thread who I'm sure understands OP's gripe and has experienced it. How do you explain that? Maybe OP just wants drama. ?