Abe Goodman
What is the world coming to? Tragedy has befallen Detroit, Michigan, after a gay man called for emergency assistance and was denied service due to his sexual orientation.
The tragedy started outside a holiday party last night, where 32-year-old Chris Smith started to experience chest discomfort. Not wanting to rile his friends, he excused himself from the festivities.
Smith called for emergency assistance for chest discomfort, immediately realizing that his history of atrial fibrillation was catching up to him. Friends report that Smith frequently visited medical personnel to have his heart monitored but was always private about the extent of his heart issues. Planning to drink just a little for the night, Smith did not drive himself to the party and had no way to get to a local hospital.
When medical help arrived, they apparently noticed Smith was dressed in very lavish and ‘out’ clothing. An onlooker reports, ‘One of the [medical technicians] got out of the bus and walked over to wear the guy was sitting on a curb and holding his chest. I stood nearby in case I could be help, I could tell the guy was not feeling good.’
“The medical staff pulled out a questionnaire form, asking the man if he had been to West Africa in the last week and after all those questions, they then asked ‘Is there any chance you are gay?”
After asking what it mattered to them, the personnel allegedly told Smith that they were required to ask the question and were suspicious of his sexuality due to his dress and others coming in and out from the holiday party.
Smith purportedly confirmed that ‘Yes, I am gay’. At that point, the medical personnel apologized and told him they had a moral obligation to refuse medical service to him. Onlookers and Smith stood in shock as the medical personnel drove away. By the time someone was able to get Smith to a hospital, it was too late.
Only several months ago, a similar Religious Freedom and Restoration Act bill allowed a restaurant in Kansas to post a sign denying service to gay people.
