Introduction from the Creator
Welcome to the next issue of HOOSIER LGBTQ! Check out the Facebook page for links to all kinds of gay news, events, and organizations. I'll also post on the page when new issues are printed. Enjoy! --Kim Flowers
Flaming National Headlines
Gay Iowa teen Kenneth Weishuhn committed suicide after recieving death threats. Huffpost Gay Voices
A study has shown that many workers are paid less because of sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. --AmericanProgress.org
Psychiatrist Dr. Robert Spitzer, creator of a controversial ex-gay study in 2001 which is still being used by many reparative therapy groups today, retracted his claims in American Prospect magazine. --www.LGBTQNation.com
Nearly 2 dozen gay groups are supporting the family and case of Trayvon Martin. You can read the letter of support from GLAAD and other organizations here: http://www.glaad.org/blog/open-letter-standing-alongside-trayvon-martins-family-and-friends
Community News
Diverse Business Solutions in Greenwood has been contracted by the University of Evansville to assist in developing a campus-wide supplier diversity program. The company is one of only two organizations in the United States to offer certification of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered businesses. To learn more about Diverse Business Solutions or if you are a certified diverse business, visit at www.dbs-llc.net. --GayIndyNow.com
Indiana's gender/race gap is among the largest in the nation. On average, for every dollar a man makes, a white woman makes 72 cents, a black woman makes 67 cents, and a Latina woman makes 55 cents. (There was no mention of sexual orientation or gender identity gaps in this article.) --Indianapolis Star
The Indiana BMV is reportedly trying to stay out of the Indiana legislative debate on how many specialty license plates a state should issue. A schedule for the study committee hasn't been set up yet. --Associated Press
IMO: When Your Doctor Discriminates
When
it comes to going to the hospital in Indiana, one would think that it would be
a safe experience for GLBT people. There are no “family only” laws to ban
anyone from visiting their same-sex partners, and most patients are treated
fairly regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation. But some doctors still choose to discriminate
against patients who do not meet their hetero-normative standards. As has happened to me several times before in
my life, I once had an experience where I wasn’t expected to be treated any
differently for being a lesbian and ended up confused and hurt, this time at
the doctor’s office.
Two years ago I became a new patient
to an OB/GYN who came highly recommended to me.
I will call him Dr. A. It seemed
that Dr. A had saved the lives of half the babies in town, made “House”-like
diagnoses, and performed legendary surgeries.
My sister was one of his patients, and had a baby while under his care. Sadly, the doctor told my sister that she
would never conceive again. I went to
Dr. A for a regular check-up and to get advice on how best to get pregnant with
a sperm donor.
On my first visit, things seemed
fine. The doctor told me I most likely
had endometriosis, and that certain procedures could help my chances of
becoming pregnant. But I didn’t want to
go through any procedure or surgery without an official endometriosis
diagnosis, which can only be made with a laparoscope. At my second appointment, 6 months later, I
had been trying to get pregnant for four months, and wanted to discuss the
methods I’d used and an obtain an official diagnosis of whatever might be wrong
with me since I had chronic abdominal pain.
That day I sat on a table, question list in hand, listening to a baby’s
heartbeat from the sonogram room next door with tears in my eyes. I wondered when it would be my turn to be a
mother.
Dr. A walked into the room and said,
“So, what are we doing?”
I
said, “I don’t know.”
“If you don’t know what’s going on, then
this is just a waste of time,” he answered, throwing his hands in the air. “I have other patients to see.” In the tone of voice one might use with a
dog, he told me I needed an X-ray on my fallopian tubes, a DNC procedure to
scrape the lining of my uterus, and a blood test to check my progesterone
levels. Not only that, but he seemed to
think I wasn’t trying hard enough to get pregnant and told me that I should
have sex with my sperm donor. When I
told him I couldn’t, he suggested this method again about five minutes later. I left in tears through a crowded waiting
room, thinking that the people who stared at me probably thought that I’d just
found out I had herpes or something.
Against my better judgment I got my
blood levels checked, to prove that I was in fact doing everything I could to
have a baby. A nurse called a few days
later and told me my progesterone levels were low and that I should have all
the procedures done that Dr. A recommended, but I didn’t feel comfortable going
back to that office.
Less than a month later, I went to an appointment with a new doctor, Dr.
B. I told him everything that had happened with Dr. A. Dr. B told me progesterone levels are
meaningless unless a woman is already pregnant, and that there was no reason I
should have had that blood test done. And then, during a pelvic ultrasound, my
new doctor showed me a tiny white dot on the screen which turned out to be my
son.
I took my first official positive
pregnancy test on April Fools’ Day, 2010.
A week later, my supposedly infertile
sister got a positive pregnancy test as well.
It wasn’t until after all this that I
found out my sister felt mistreated by Dr. A, too. I wondered if her bad experiences
were due to the fact that she is white and her boyfriend is black. But then someone who heard about both of our
experiences told us that Dr. A doesn’t have a problem with lesbians or
mixed-race couples, just unmarried women.
I’m not sure if there are any legal actions
that can be taken against people such as Dr. A.
All I know is that after my comfort level and
integrity had been shattered, I switched doctors immediately. Maybe this is the only thing that can be done. But if anyone else has an experience similar
to this, please know that it isn’t right and you can find another doctor who will
treat you with respect.
Thanks for reading!
