A gay doctor who is one of Louisiana's only specialist paediatric cardiologists has fled the state due to recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
A gay doctor who is one of Louisiana’s only specialist paediatric cardiologists has left the state after the introduction of a Don’t Say Gay copycat bill and a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Jake Kleinmahon, who was one of just three doctors specialising in heart transplants for children in Louisiana, chose to leave the state with his family, as they no longer felt safe.
Kleinmahon met and fell in love with his husband Tom in New Orleans, and the couple expected remain in Louisiana, even after retirement. However, he told CNN that the state’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation made him and his family feel unwelcome and that he ultimately “didn’t have a choice”.
Was born premature, and required open heart surgery when I was only a few days old.
When I was around 17 I had the chance to visit the hospital and tour the children's ICU I had been in. A children's ICU is not the happiest place in the world, and there were strange looks from both staff and parents as we walked around, feeling very awkward.
Then a short man with a thick accent burst through the door and hugged me. Turned out, the doctor who had performed my surgery was there and insisted on showing me around personally.
He walked me over to a woman who was about the saddest person I have ever seen, sitting next to an incubator. "This is what your son will look like in 18 years" he told her.
They took my picture, and hung it on the board for the kids who had "graduated", and I have to believe it was the first time in a long time that room had joy and happiness in it.
If someone had told me that that doctor wasn't welcome because he had a husband I think I would have wanted to become violent.
This law means that those families now have 1/3 fewer people to give a chance for thier kids, and the odds for me hadn't been that great to begin with.
What was the woman’s response to that comment from the doctor? Because that is a one impactful statement!
How did it feel to basically be a example for hope to that woman that day?
She didn't say anything really, just smiled and thanked the doctor.
While I was too young to fully understand it at the time, it still had a big impact on me, and looking back on it now I tear up a bit.
That day is the reason, years later when joining the military, I took an MOS fixing medical equipment. I'm no health care worker, but I'm damned good w tech, and fixing the machines that help fix people always meant a lot to me.
I don't know what happened with either her or her child, but I suspect the doctor knew because he said it with such confidence, I doubt he would have given her false hope.
I was a little over 1 years old when I had a heart attack. My mom put me down for a nap and it happened shortly after that. I feel lucky in that I'm 34 and haven't had any major complications, but it does mean I am a little more at risk later on in life.
Either way, this was up in Alaka. There's really not as much up there. The idea of that happening, my mom getting me to the hospital, and then finding out that the person they needed just left a few weeks ago? In a way, I wouldn't know, but I can't imagine my mom going through that.
TL;DR: a gay pediatric cardiologist (one of only 3 pediatric cardiologists in the state) moved away because Louisiana politicians are predominantly backwards, regressive, homophobic shitstains. Other things too, but those are the characteristics relevant to the article.
But at this point, what kind of care are they actually going to get if they're too poor to move. They're fucked either way because God forbid we help people in need.
It is but given that I did it, and I am hardly impressive, and pretyyy much every day I see immigrant families who did a much more difficult version my sympathy levels arent very high. Except for the teens and kids. They are fucked until 18.
Let that be done by the EU once Trump decides to leave NATO. (/s of course, no one can ever invade the US, and their decisions are theirs as long as they do not seek conflict with other countries!).
Why would you have that rapist's baby if you can afford to travel to another state, stay in a hotel, and pay for the procedure, without having to give up that nice vacation you've got planned, cover the costs of your children's private school, and trade up your car at the end of the lease next month?
This is the intended outcome of their actions. They'd rather get rid of useful things than allow a society that says it's fine for people to be who they are, because the overall purpose is to make people suffer.
The article doesn't do a good job explaining the "Don't Say Gay" bill. The bill prohibits teachers from teaching about sexual orientation before 4th grade.
Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.
As far as I can tell, the term "classroom instruction" in Florida law means a course designed to be presented to a group of students by a live instructor using lecture, video, webcast, or virtual or other audio-video presentation. There isn't a separate definition given in the "Don't Say Gay" law, and at a glance I couldn't find another definition used in Florida other than the one I just gave, though there might be elsewhere in Florida law, since precise definitions are often central to what exactly is permitted.
I have two words you need to take time to parse: "Chilling Effect."
EDIT: It appears you think the bill is bigoted, based on comments elsewhere. You directing people to the language of the bill like the text speaks for itself is usually something that proponents of the legislation do, hence my confusion as to your rhetorical point.
That's might have been in Florida, not Louisiana, but it wouldn't surprise me if this happens.
Just like the anti-gender affirming treatment bills that were supposedly only for minors because "we've got to stop kids from making decisions they'll regret." Later, of course, some right wing areas extended those bans to adults, dropping the "protect the children" mask that we were all able to see past anyway.