A Fresno hospital has been asked to apologize, and adopt policy changes after a lesbian was denied access to her partner after she collapsed at the Meet in the Middle 4 Equality march last month. Teresa Rowe, and her partner Kristin Orbin, who suffered an epileptic seizure near the end of the 14 mile march, began to experience discrimination the moment the ambulance arrived.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) have sent a letter to the Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno on behalf of the couple, seeking an apology and the policy changes listed below:

1. Adopt a comprehensive visitation’ policy that:
   • Affirms all patients’ rights to have visitors, explicitly including same-sex partners and their children;
   • Outlines a clear process for determining when visitors will be restricted and how that decision will be communicated; and
   • Includes a grievance procedure in the case of visitation denial that can be acted on quickly in an emergency situation
2. Ensure that your hospitals’ non-discrimination policy explicitly describes LGBT individuals as a protected group;
3. Ensure that that your patients’ bill of rights explicitly describes the rights of LGBT patients;
4. Provide LGBT healthcare training to the Emergency Department staff at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno; and
5. Participate in the 2009 Healthcare Equality Index, an annual survey of healthcare industry policies and practices related to LGBT individuals and families.

The Community Regional Medical Center has until June 22, 2009 to respond to the letter or risk possible legal action. The hospital however has already issued a statement denying any wrongdoing.

Rowe and Orbin told their story to ABC7 in San Francisco. Watch:

A Fresno hospital denied Teresa Rowe access to her partner Kristin Orbin who suffered a seizure and collapsed after Meet in the Middle 4 Equality march on May 30th.

The discrimination began shortly after the paramedics arrived. Orbin described her ordeal on Examiner.com.

“By that time, I was going in and out of consciousness.  The paramedics wanted nothing to do with Teresa and she had to practically fight them to be allowed to ride in the ambulance.  I remember one of them was very nice and agreed to let her ride with me in the back.  Once we got to the hospital, they wheeled me into a hallway and left me, refusing to allow Teresa to be with me.”

Orbin said the paramedic told the nurse on duty that she had collapsed after marching 14 miles for civil rights, and the nurse gave her a dirty look and said “ooooh.”  She continued, “I asked if Teresa could come back with me, but the nurse told me I was in a no visitor zone. When I asked her why everyone else had visitors, she said ‘those people are different’.”

They refused to take my medical cards from her.  They refused Teresa’s offer to have my advance directive and power of attorney faxed over from UCSF.”

Orbin said she asked the nurses several times if Rowe could join her, but each time they refused.

“They just kept looking at my Marriage Equality shirt and giving me dirty looks,” she said.

Orbin and Rowe were not reunited until a doctor intervened a few hours later.

As a result of the incident the couple is considering legal action and has contacted the ACLU for advice.

There are laws on books here in California that protect not just gays and lesbians from this kind of discrimination, but everyone. Except apparently, in Fresno.

A California elementary school sixth grader has been banned from giving a presentation on Harvey Milk in class as it violates the school’s sex education policy. Natalie Jones, a student at Mt. Woodson Elementary School in Romana, California,  based her presentation on an independent research project she wrote about the gay civil rights leader. After reviewing the incident, the ACLU determined that it is a free speech issue, particularly since the school referenced its sex education policy in its decision, and is now pursuing the case. From the ACLU press release:

“The principal and superintendent grossly misinterpreted school policy. They illegally censored student speech protected by the First Amendment and the California Education Code,” said David Blair-Loy, Legal Director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties. “Writing or talking about a gay historical figure who advocated for equal rights for LGBT Californians is in no way the same thing as talking about sex, and school officials should not pretend otherwise.”

The student’s mother Bonnie Jones:

“This whole thing is unbelievable – first my daughter got called into the principal’s office as if she were in some kind of trouble, and then they treated her presentation like it was something icky. Harvey Milk was an elected official in this state and an important person in history. To say my daughter’s presentation is ‘sex education’ because Harvey Milk happened to be gay is completely wrong.”

Below is the part of the school’s sex education policy which is in question:

“(P)arents/guardians shall be notified in writing about any instruction in which human reproductive organs and their functions, processes, or sexually transmitted diseases are described, illustrated, or discussed. In addition, before any instruction on family life, human sexuality, AIDS or sexually transmitted diseases is given, the parent/guardian shall be provided with written notice explaining that the instruction will be given…”

The ACLU is seeking an apology for Natalie, an opportunity for her to give the presentation in front of her class, and a clarification of parental notification issues with regards to the sex education policy.

No! Of course not. What a ridiculous headline! And I certainly don’t mean to make light of today’s events and sincerely hope everyone made it safely through the tornadoes today, having grown up in Colorado I certainly know the drill.

But follow my line of thought, for just a moment. Oklahoma state legislator Sally Kern and those of like mind have been notoriously intolerant, homophobic and generally un-Christian (in the truest sense of the word), as of late. Have their recent words warranted God’s wrath?

I think not. And the notion is totally outrageous. But only as outrageous as the claims below made by Kern and others like her…

Recent deadly fires in Australia caused by slaughtering innocents in the womb – Pastor Danny Nalliah

Gays responsible for hurricane Katrina – Pastor Hagee

Gays and lesbians are to blame for the current economic crisis – Christian Civil League of Maine Executive Director Michael Heath

Pro-gay legislation provoked floods in Britain – Rev Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle

Gays caused the collapse of Rome – Sally Kern

and of course…

Gays, lesbians, sinners, abortionists, feminists and the ACLU caused 9/11 – Jerry Fallwell

The list above is only a handful. Gays and lesbians, and more recently the “pro-choicers,” have been blamed for a multitude of disasters and cataclysms since the beginning of time.

So is the shoe now on the other foot? The Christian one?

I’m sure I’ll get hammered for this, but someone had to make the point.