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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Lesbian Nurse Charges Carle Hospital with Discrimination |
Current rating: -1 |
by Ida Tarbell
(No verified email address)
Phone: 344-8820 (IMC) |
10 Jun 2002
Modified: 01 Aug 2002 |
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Lynn Sprout, a pediatric nurse and manager at Carle Foundation Hospital for 15 years, claims she was harassed by Carle management and ultimately fired because she is a lesbian. She came out last Fall while caring for her dying same-sex partner of 18 years. (article 1) |
 lynnsprout.mp3 (2095 k) Lynn Sprout, a pediatric nurse and manager at Carle Foundation Hospital for 15 years, claims she was harassed by Carle management and ultimately fired because she is a lesbian. She came out last Fall while caring for her dying same-sex partner of 18 years. (article 1) |
Lynn Sprout, a pediatric nurse and manager at Carle Foundation Hospital for 15 years, claims she was harassed by Carle management and ultimately fired because she is a lesbian. She came out last Fall while caring for her dying same-sex partner of 18 years.
On May 23, Lynn filed a complaint of discrimination with the Urbana Human Relations Commission. She charges Carle Foundation Hospital with violating the city's Human Rights Ordinance, which protects employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and marital status. The city's policies are Lynn's only recourse since employment discrimination based on sexual orientation is legal in the state of Illinois and the United States generally.
According to Lynn, harrassment began after she revealed to her supervisors that Linda Schurvinske, her domestic partner of 18 years, was dying. According to Lynn, she was met with a blank stare. Two weeks later, she was offered a severance package and, in Lynn's account, was told "you can spend all the time you want with her."
Lynn rejected the severage package and continued to work at Carle while her partner's condition worsened. Since Lynn and Linda were not legally able to marry, Lynn was not eligible for Family Medical Leave under Carle's policies. Lynn's only way to care for her partner was to take vacation days off from work, which she did.
Two weeks after Lynn rejected the severance offer, Linda was transfered to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and Lynn went with her. She called work to tell them she would be taking more vacation days off:
According to Lynn, Carle management found problems with Lynn's job performance from the time she
revealed her lesbianism, through her partner's death, and for several months afterwards until she was ultimately fired. Other managers were accused of not following similar Carle policies, but only Lynn was fired, she claims. Later she was told that she may be considered for re-hire in three years, but would never again work in pediatrics at Carle.
Carle has until June 22 to respond to the discrimination case. In a written response to the press, Carle maintains that they have not and do not discriminate against employees based on their sexual orientation. They state that they are in compliance with Federal Family Leave Policies. The federal government does not require employeers to extend leave to same sex or unmarried couples.
Friends and allies have begun a campaign in support of Lynn to demand that Carle abide my city anti-discrimination policy, restore Lynn as a pediatric nurse manager, and provide Family Medical leave to all their employees regardless of sexual orientation. They are asking community members to write letters supporting Lynn to Carle Foundation Board members. The campaign's e-mail address is equalityatcarle (at) yahoo.com. |
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????? |
by Danielle
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
01 Aug 2002
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I want to start off saying that I too am a lesbian and pray I am never descriminated against because of my sexual orientation in my work place, but I do not agree with this case. Granted this article is short and may not give all the facts, but to me it does not sound like discrimination. She mentioned her partner's illness, so to the management it may have implied, she wanted leave from work, so they gave her the severage package. She refused it. I don't know if I would have taken it in her situation, but I would have wanted to be with my lover. It says no where that she was penalized for taking those vacation days, which to me sound sufficient for her. Lastly, I know how it feels to lose loved one's and how it affects your performance in life and work, so it's quite possible she was performing badly and they thought relieving her of her duties would help her get through the grieiving process. Life does not stop for you to grieve. Plus they offered to re-hire her! There was nothing in this article that directly points to discrimination based on sexual orientation. |
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Do not discriminate |
by Vai
dear_vai (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
01 Aug 2002
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I belive.no individual should be judged or discrminated on the grounds of sexual orientation. |
