Pride Month

I am fortunate to work in a very diverse setting. Hospital staff and patients come from many countries and speak various world languages. I have seen rooms shared by a prisoner under guard, a homeless person and a university professor. And I have seen many different expressions of sexuality and gender. None of these differences matter when one is ill and each patient is treated with professionalism and compassion. This may not be the case in every hospital in our country but the staff members at this particular hospital are exceptional! 

Last week this Catholic hospital unveiled a rainbow crosswalk from the parking lot to mark Pride Month. I worked with several LGBTQ staff members over the years and count some of them as good friends. We work together to provide the best possible care for our patients and recognize each person's strengths in the team. We share our humanity with each other and our patients. 

I was 14 years old when homosexual activity was decriminalized in Canada. Over the years since then, several people I grew up with came out as gay. Sadly, some of them died of AIDS before effective diagnosis and treatments were available. Even after decriminalization, people were sometimes fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation. I remember well a charge nurse being fired suddenly for this reason early in my career. We have come a long way in extending human rights to LGBTQ people. Women have also had to fight for equality and rights in Canada and continue to do so in other places in the world. Violence is still directed toward these groups. Three people, a professor and two students, were stabbed last week at a local university in a class on gender studies. 

While I know that my workplace provides care for all people, many churches exclude and persecute people based on gender and sexual orientation. LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups face exclusion while adulterers, abusers and sexual predators have hidden their behaviour behind pulpits and offices of the church. The hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed. We all bear the image of God yet we all struggle with unrighteousness. In Colossians 3, Paul describes the struggle with our earthly nature and names sexual immorality, greed, anger, rage, malice, slander and lies together as works of the flesh. We all can identify with some of these characteristics. In contrast, Paul exhorts the church at Colossae to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love. My Christian faith means nothing if it is not expressed in this way.

I didn't join others who marched around the hospital in a small Pride parade, nor did I wear rainbow stickers or wave a flag. That is not my style. But I want to be known as someone who respects and accepts others, extending friendship and care regardless of our differences.