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?

[Crystal-Wings, LVN]

Why are you discussing politics and your lifestyle with people at work and what did you hope to achieve by doing that? You sound like an entitled jerk. 

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

Just giving my two cents here but the issue I see based on the OP's post is not a mere friendly disagreement with one's "lifestyle".  For the record being gay is not a "lifestyle".  A comment was made that gay people should be harmed to the person who admitted that they are gay.  That is not cool. 

At this day and age, I am surprised we are saying that gay people should be hiding in closets, keeping their mouth shut so as not to trigger homophobic rants from people who don't agree with their "gayness".  Hiding in the closet has been a source of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts for many gay people.

Not every gay person is the same, they fall on a wide spectrum of those who fit the outward appearance and mannerisms of a "straight" person to those who tend to be more "effeminate".  One is not "better" than the other...so are we to tell those who act "effeminate" to "butch it up" so as not to offend their homophobic co-workers?

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

18 hours ago, sarah george said:

California is mainly minorities and less whites.

Are you talking about the whole state or California's cities? California is one of the most diverse states in the US both demographically and politically.  You could be in ultra-liberal "commie" San Francisco to the ultra-white conservative enclaves in the Northeastern counties.

[Jordanmedical, ASN, CNA, EMT-B]

49 minutes ago, cynical-RN said:

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.

I did not say that; the individual should immediately be reported because hate speech like that doesn't need discussion if someone is going so far as to promote the murder/killing a large sub set of people. 

[Guest856929]

7 minutes ago, Jordanmedical said:

I did not say that; the individual should immediately be reported because hate speech like that doesn't need discussion if someone is going so far as to promote the murder/killing a large sub set of people. 

Indeed, they should be reported. However, sashaying around the unit expressing the flamboyance of your lifestyle is not prudent, especially if one expects others to agree with said lifestyle 100%. Some might counter that such lifestyle is abominable and punishable by death in their religion (their own lifestyle). And that’s precisely why people should not parade their sexual choices/identities in the profession setting.

Others: Let’s neither conflate nor attempt to draw parallels between racial adversities with LGBTQ issues. There are no reasonable similarities. 

 

 

[Jordanmedical, ASN, CNA, EMT-B]

1 minute ago, cynical-RN said:

Indeed, they should be reported. However, sashaying around the unit expressing the flamboyance of your lifestyle is not prudent, especially if one expects others to agree with said lifestyle 100%. Some might counter that such lifestyle is abominable and punishable by death in their religion (their own lifestyle). And that’s precisely why people should not parade their sexual choices/identities in the profession setting.

Others: Let’s neither conflate nor attempt to draw parallels between racial adversities with LGBTQ issues. There are no reasonable similarities. 

 

 

I disagree on the lack of similarities.

[Guest856929]

5 minutes ago, Jordanmedical said:

I disagree on the lack of similarities.

We shall agree to disagree then. There’s a gaping chasm of distinction between facts and opinions. 

[0.9%NormalSarah, BSN, RN]

I have a friend that always seems to be drawing out these types of reactions in people, and I’ve seen this person constantly pick fights with others because every conversation has to be about some form of oppression. I do believe there are those who wake up looking for an opportunity to be offended and call others out. That friend is now lonely and isolated because while many of us love this person, it is very difficult to hang out. Whether or not we agree with this person’s ideas isn’t the problem. It’s the fact that every conversation is activism, it’s never about just relaxing and enjoying the company of others.

Now imagine someone sees that type of attitude in someone they don’t even know. They most likely are not going to be interested in digging further and trying to get to know that person. Actually I’m guessing most of OP’s coworkers would rather say nothing, but perhaps OP was the aggressive one in starting the conversation. I have seen that with my friend. By that time, the whole interaction is spoiled. Have enough of these situations and of course the OP sees a pattern and thinks people are aggressive due to OP being gay or of a certain religion, but it’s really because OP is coming across as unlikable.

A question for OP, would you be OK with someone who says, “well I don’t really agree with a gay lifestyle because I’m a conservative Christian, but I would not want to push my belief on others, it’s just my personal view.”? This is not my view, but I grew up in a very conservative Christian family and these are the things they would say, they aren’t fighting against gay rights, they just don’t want to take part themselves. Is that OK in your book, or would you be upset about working with a person like that? 

I personally believe that others should be able to view the world through their own lense as long as they aren’t trying to stifle my rights. I think that’s where we have to settle or else someone will always be oppressed. 

[xanderx]

Well said!!!!!!!

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

25 minutes ago, cynical-RN said:

Let’s neither conflate nor attempt to draw parallels between racial adversities with LGBTQ issues. There are no reasonable similarities.

 

 

There are no reasonable similarities? I agree that they are two separate issues but the murder of countless gays and transgender people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity by people motivated by hate isn't enough?

https://eu.coloradoan.com/story/news/2018/10/31/more-than-600-lgbtq-people-killed-us-past-two-decades-since-matthew-shepard-murder/1670264002/

[Guest856929]

9 minutes ago, juan de la cruz said:

There are no reasonable similarities? I agree that they are two separate issues but the murder of countless gays and transgender people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity by people motivated by hate isn't enough?

https://eu.coloradoan.com/story/news/2018/10/31/more-than-600-lgbtq-people-killed-us-past-two-decades-since-matthew-shepard-murder/1670264002/

Are these isolated incidents or part of a systemic scheme to annihilate homosexuals akin to ethnic cleansing or racial genocide? Again the gaping distinction between the two societal stratifications is too wide to draw any reasonable parallels. In fact, by doing so, LGBTQ activists detract and dilute the seriousness of racial matters, especially relative to blacks. 

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

9 minutes ago, cynical-RN said:

Are these isolated incidents or part of a systemic scheme to annihilate homosexuals akin to ethnic cleansing or racial genocide? Again the gaping distinction between the two societal stratifications is too wide to draw any reasonable parallels. In fact, by doing so, LGBTQ activists detract and dilute the seriousness of racial matters, especially relative to blacks. 

Does that have to be the only barometer? I feel like this topic needs another thread of its own because we can go on and on about years of LGBTQ people being denied the same rights and privileges as those who do not identify as such.