There has been news recently of a transgender teen who committed suicide because her parents did not accept her and she felt society didn't, either. With that in mind, I started thinking about nursing culture and attitudes towards those who have alternative sexual orientations. How would this teen have been treated at our facility if she came in with an illness? Would we have treated her with respect? Would we have remembered to call her by her preferred name (obviously still checking name band with legal name)? What would have been our private thoughts about this patient: a messed-up kid, or a kid who knows who they are?
I have noticed -- and maybe it's just the area where I live -- that nurses seem to be tolerant and judgmental towards nurses of diverse cultures and backgrounds and disabilities, but when it comes to being homosexual there seems to be a lack of acceptance. There are a couple of nurses who have confided in me that other nurse coworkers are "probably gay" and list the reasons they think that. We have two openly gay staff and I have never seen them treated poorly because of this, but the ones who are "probably gay" are.
When I bring up the topic in a general way some nurses are offended or have strong opinions. One of my late-night talks with another nurse (charting at our stations) was about what we would do if one of our children revealed themselves to be gay. We were both agreeing that we would be accepting of it, but another nurse spoke out very strongly that none of her kids would ever be gay. Two others, who belong to a conservative religious movement that's big in our area decided they would get up and leave the conversation altogether.
When we've had a couple of peds patients with gay parents, I have been given a report that mentions that fact in a very judgmental way. When I was in nursing school I took care of a man with a male partner and found the same attitude existed with some of the nurses. To be fair, other nurses are very respectful but enough are not that it's bothersome.
I live in an area with many illegal immigrants who don't speak English and are non-paying patients. They are never treated any less for having this status, and I'm proud of that fact. They are sick, they have rights, and they and their families deserve respect. We have patients from different religious backgrounds and the parents wear traditional attire, and we make sure they are served food and have their times of prayer accommodated. We pass on cultural needs but I have never heard it mentioned in a derogatory way or with the eye rolls that accompany reports of the patients with gay parents. I have never seen medical care affected by this, but the attitude is there.
Has anyone else encountered this? What can be done about it?
There is no federal law that consistently protects LGBT individuals from employment discrimination; there are no state laws in 29 states that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and in 32 states that do so based on gender identity. As a result, LGBT people face serious discrimination in employment, including being fired, being denied a promotion and experiencing harassment on the job.
There are reasons that too many gays DO NOT come out of the closet at work.
Yes, exactly. Constitutional bans against gay marriage are being overturned at the state level very quickly these days, but no new anti-discrimination legislation has been passed. Hence, no legal protection. ENDA, the federal Employee Non Discrimination Act has been stalled for a very long time.
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
I've not experienced a nurse being rude toward homosexual Pts. One time I saw an side tell a pt engaging in homosexual sec that he is "nasty". I pulled him to the side and privately explained why that is inappropriate, as Pts have rights.
I've also intervened when I observed a pt using homosexual slurs toward another pt.
I hope I would be just as brave to speak up, politely, if I observed a nurse say anything inappropriate to a pt.
(Spell check isn't working. Not sure if I spelled inappropriate correctly.
I have gay and lesbian lesbian coworkers and patients. The way I see it is what happens between consenting adults behind the closed doors of their home is not my business or the business of anyone else.
toomuchbaloney
15,864 Posts
THis is how it is possible;
Employment Non-Discrimination Act | Resources | Human Rights Campaign
There are reasons that too many gays DO NOT come out of the closet at work.