STR8 vs Gay Male RN

soltera · Mar 10, 2004

So - how do you feel about green alien RN's????

hehehe cool! :)

my2sons · Mar 10, 2004

I agree that this is a non-issue. If you have a nursing license and a pulse, you're welcome to work justabout anywhere these days. Caffeine Addict: Your Sneetches comment CRACKED me right up, I am now wiping the coffee off of my keyboard, thanks. That Seuss really had a way of getting to the truth of things didn't he?

javagirl · Mar 10, 2004

I don't care if you are black, white, brown, purple with green spots, gay, straight, married, single, divorced, etc...just please send me some more RNs!!!!!

Well, that's a relief, me being plaid and all. :rolleyes:

MryRose · Mar 10, 2004

I think people are people..... gay, straight, whatever is fine with me. Just be a caring soul and I am there for you. :)

I've read your original and subsequent posts and am wondering...

For clarification, what are your exact concerns regarding Gay and Straight Males in Nursing?

How will you feel about working with patients that are openly Gay?

I have to admit that I asked my friends a question along the same line... "Are there a lot of Gay nurses where you work".....

Taken out of context... this might seem unkind.... but for my friends, they know I LOVE everyone and it was a question I had. In our discussion, it was a reasonable question with absolutely NO disrespect intended.

I would like to think that your question was maybe similar in nature.

Peace,

MaryRose :balloons:

AIS52 · Mar 10, 2004

I've never had anyone ask me if I'm gay, in fact many of the women when they find out I'm not married want to introduce me to their granddaughter, daughter, niece, etc. so I'm not worried if the patients think I'm gay or not. Besides would you think your child's teacher was gay because he was a man? I didn't think so- you don't hear the term "Male Teacher" used very often so why do we use "Male Nurse?"

hock1 · Mar 11, 2004

Hey all,
I'm a 43 y/o first year nursing student and am wondering about the percentage of straight vs gay male nurses. I'm attending a very small college with six males in our class, one of whom is gay. Noone seems to care but I was wondering what the prevelance of gay male RN's is in the hospital setting, and is it a generally non-issue with other healthcare team workers?

I went to school with four male nursing students and sure enough there would be at least one client a semester who would ask the gender preference question. One of the students actually was asked out by his gay patient! However non of the male student nurses were gay.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Mar 11, 2004

I guess the question that would come to my mind, is .... how would you know if the guys in your class were gay or not? I mean, had this been a topic of conversation? It was certainly never a topic of conversation in my RN program, nor would I have wanted it to be. Quite frankly, I never really cared if the guys (or girls for that matter), were gay or straight. It just was not an issue in nursing achool. Then again, maybe it was and maybe I was just to involved with the immense amount of reading to notice. :)

Token Male · Mar 11, 2004

We don't ask about the sexual preference of our patients or work mates because it is none of our business. Are they competent and safe is our business. The man in the bed needs our care and attention and I've only been blatently propositioned once by a patient in nearly 30 years. My female peers all boast of a higher hit rate than that from the men.

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Mar 11, 2004

In my 25 years of nursing, the vast majority of the time this has been a non-issue with the various people I have worked with. I have been questioned several times,however, by lay people that have asked me about "male nurses" being gay. (Strange, no one has ever asked me about "female nurses" being gay.) I always tell them the same thing:
"I do not question consenting adults about what they do in the privacy of thier bedrooms."
Works for me.

While I do appreciate your neutral viewpoint, I do have a problem with this quote. Many times I hear straight people say that as long whatever we do is "behind closed doors" then it's ok that we're gay. However, this implies that being gay is purely about having sex, and that our identity is only founded by what we do in bed. This is innaccurate and sadly lacking. Firstly, being gay is so much more than who we sleep with or what we do in bed...and has everything to do with identity and our own place in the world and our right to exist in it. Secondly, turn the tables for one brief moment. What if the same sentiment is applied to heterosexuals...that it is kept behind closed doors. That means never holding hands with your spouse in public, never giving an affectionate kiss on the cheek outside of the house, never mentioning what you and your spouse did at the weekend to your colleagues. Can you see the ramifications of that and how unpleasant and isolated your existence would be? That is why I don't "keep it behind closed doors" and why I choose to live my life out in the open, as so many millions of other ordinary people take for granted. I am out at work and most people are absolutely wonderfully accepting. Because of them I realize that there is hope for us all to live in a more open and honest world.

ManEnough · Mar 11, 2004

Reminds me of the quote:

"I don't mind straight people as long as they don't act straight in public."

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Mar 11, 2004

Many times I hear straight people say that as long whatever we do is "behind closed doors" then it's ok that we're gay. However, this implies that being gay is purely about having sex, and that our identity is only founded by what we do in bed. This is innaccurate and sadly lacking.

I agree. And i've always said the "i don't want to know what goes on behind closed door,s airline bathrooms, backseats of cars, etc" in reference to people's personal lives, be they gay, straight, or checking out the knothole in the fence.

mattsmom81 · Mar 11, 2004

To the OP (if he is still around here...wouldn't blame him if he wasn't) AND other young males wondering/worrying if they will be thought gay as nurses: this will likely be less an issue for you once you have a friend who you find out later is gay. You will look at it in a whole different light once a human being you care for comes into the picture. I work with both gay and staight males and females and we get along fine...its a job, we are all nurses. Some I like, some I don't...just like any group...but they're all good nurses so we can work together.

Just my motherly side coming out here...hehe....this conversation seems pretty natural for me, blunt questions and all. Do we want to discourage young people from asking questions and discourage them from looking honestly within themselves? If so ...let's just keep up the browbeating and motive questioning. Can't we be a bit more gentle on one another? Especially the very young?

If openmindedness and tolerance is an asset, (and I believe it IS anywhere, especially in nursing) let's all try to practice what we preach.

OK, mommy lecture over now...LOL!