“We were all in this together, yet this comment made me feel so alone.” LGBTQIA+ Network Chair, Dan, bravely speaks out about his experience of homophobia ahead of IDAHOBIT.
International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) is marked annually on 17 May.
The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organisation’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
Dan Walton-Ashmore is a Trainee Nursing Associate in our Accident and Emergency Department at Royal Derby Hospital. Dan is also the Chair of our UHDB LGBTQIA+ Network and has bravely shared his experience of homophobia whilst working.
Dan said: “One of my experiences of homophobia whilst working in the Trust was right at the start of the pandemic. Two patients came in to A&E, very drunk, and made a racist comment to one of my colleagues.
“We have a zero tolerance policy at the Trust, so I asked them to leave the department because of the comment they had made and I was told by them to “Shut your f*****g mouth, you dirty f****** queer”.
“That comment made me feel less than human. We were all in this together, so to speak, fighting this pandemic, yet this comment made me feel so alone. At the time I felt like I had no back up, because who was going to chase these individuals down and tell them that their behaviour was wrong?”
Amanda Rawlings, Director of People and Organisational Development at University Hospitals of Derby & Burton, said: “Here at UHDB, we are striving to ensure we are an inclusive employer and provider of healthcare. Homophobia, Biphobia, Enbyphobia and Transphobia is totally unacceptable at UHDB in any shape or form and it is our responsibility to ensure all colleagues, patients and visitors in our organisation experience equality and respect. No colleague here at UHDB should be subject to abuse.
“Our staff dedicate their lives to helping people and continue to go above and beyond to provide care to our communities as they have done so valiantly throughout the pandemic. They deserve to be treated with respect and to feel safe in their work environment.”
If you’re a colleague at UHDB and want to share your experiences please join the LGBTQIA+ network by searching “UHDB LGBTQIA+ Network” on Facebook.
If you face abuse, do not accept it. If you see a colleague being abused, do not ignore it.
Find out more about how to raise concerns at UHDB here > (staff intranet link)