*Warning: Some images in this article contain homophobic and transphobic language some readers may find offensive*
Chris Seelbach, an openly gay city councilman for Cincinnati, Ohio, recently called for the firing of a nurse who works at Bethesda Butler Hospital after a homophobic rant she posted to Facebook came to light.
In a series of screenshots posted to Twitter, Seelbach revealed anti-LGBTQ rants by nurse Cindy Carter on Facebook.
Cindy Carter is a nurse at @TriHealth As an LGBTQ+ person, I don't feel comfortable using their services until I k… https://t.co/HyEF7txpi5— Chris Seelbach (@Chris Seelbach) 1572219040.0
@ChrisSeelbach/Twitter
The offensive post, which is apparently responding to the company Always' decision to remove the female symbol from their menstruation products to be more inclusive towards transgender and gender non-conforming customers, was especially hateful.
"Women have periods, men don't. Grab a mirror, it's easy. You either have a d**k, or you don't."
In another post, she wrote:
"These f**king c**k s**king homos think that they deserve everything. Men need to be men. Women need to be women."
@ChrisSeelbach @TriHealth Maybe @TriHealth needs to terminate her.— Jack Harrison (@Jack Harrison) 1572219817.0
Sabrina Cells, who shares friends with Carter on Facebook, brought the posts to light after making TriHealth, the medical network which runs Carter's hospital, aware by tagging them below her comments.
@ChrisSeelbach/Twitter
"People can have their negative thoughts about us and feel things about us all they want, but we need to be protected under a law as well."
@ChrisSeelbach @TriHealth @TriHealth, are you going to discipline your employee for her conduct? Her words are pre… https://t.co/vEEsv1YSP4— Jack Harrison (@Jack Harrison) 1572220471.0
Carter was placed on administrative leave at her hospital following Seelbach's tweet. She has yet to respond publicly to the issue, though she did reach out to Cells privately on Facebook claiming her profile had been hacked.
TriHealth has issued a statement saying Carter's comments are under investigation.
Thanks to @TriHealth for putting Cindy Carter on administrative leave. That's a good first step. No one who thinks… https://t.co/PR4pzoz7to— Chris Seelbach (@Chris Seelbach) 1572276638.0
The company's statement read:
"We must reiterate that we are dedicated to fair and equitable access to healthcare by all individuals without regard to gender, culture, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, race and physical abilities, as well as other classes protected by law."
"The nurse has been placed on administrative leave for her safety and the safety of our patients while the investigation continues. We are committed to bringing this issue to a swift close and will provide an update when the investigation is complete."
Corporate policies are important. And most corporations have inclusive LGBTQ+ policies. But what's more important i… https://t.co/gSWe2PI9cZ— Chris Seelbach (@Chris Seelbach) 1572292076.0
@ChrisSeelbach We take allegations of this nature very seriously and began an internal investigation into the matte… https://t.co/FwtKCotF9y— TriHealth (@TriHealth) 1572271382.0
Twitter couldn't believe anyone in the healthcare professional would write such hateful things.
@ChrisSeelbach @brewnas @TriHealth As an LGBTQ+ ally, I too feel uncomfortable. As a HUMAN, I feel uncomfortable an… https://t.co/XGfV7mLeBr— 513{eats} (@513{eats}) 1572223671.0
@ChrisSeelbach @TriHealth Wow as a nurse I am very disappointed and sickened by this behavior and lack of understan… https://t.co/gT502f6kaz— Deborah K Spradlin (@Deborah K Spradlin) 1572227709.0
@ChrisSeelbach @TriHealth 😳 Whoa. Unacceptable.— Candice Matthews Brackeen (@Candice Matthews Brackeen) 1572222116.0
@ChrisSeelbach @TriHealth You should try being a little less prejudiced— camylopez (@camylopez) 1572233959.0
Healthcare professionals, more than anyone else, should be respectful of all lives.
This should go without saying, but on occasions like this, reminders can be helpful.
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