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Lesbian couple seeks apology, policy changes from Fresno hospital for denying partner access

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Fresno hospital discriminates against lesbian coupleA 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:


Lesbian denied hospital access after partner collapses at Meet in the Middle march

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Fresno hospital discriminates against lesbian coupleA 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.


Carrie Prejean’s pastor Miles McPherson debates gay marriage on Larry King

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Miles McPhersonPastor Miles McPherson and lesbian comedienne Carol Leifer appeared on Larry King last night to discuss marriage equality. McPherson, a former professional football player who founded the Rock Church in San Diego—where Carrie Prejean aka Miss California is a member—has previously equated homosexuality to pedophilia and was very active in getting Proposition 8 passed last year. Watch:


School District sued for featuring lesbian pastor during “Days of Diversity”

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Castro Valley High SchoolThirty-one homophobic parents are suing a school district in California for allowing lesbian pastor Arlene Nehring to speak at a local high school during their Days of Diversity week. From InsideBayArea.com:

In the anonymous e-mail that prompted the issue, the writer claimed Nehring disrupted instruction at Castro Valley High to give step-by-step instructions on how to become gay and transsexual. Nehring has denied the assertion.

Nehring was one of many guests invited to the high school’s annual Days of Diversity program, which is intended to expose students to different backgrounds, including Japanese culture, life as a cowboy and children in foster care.

Nehring who serves as pastor at Eden United Church of Christ in Hayward, is suspicious of the motives of Pacific Justice Institute, the legal firm handling the case on behalf of the parents. The Pacific Justice Institute is endorsed by media personalities Bill O’Reilly and Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and is the same organization that invoked Hitler during the Proposition 8 campaign, comparing those opposing Prop 8 to Nazis.

A court hearing has been tentatively scheduled for June 16.

Watch a video report from the local NBC affiliate: