by Bridgette P. LaVictoire, Lezgetreal.com
Esther Garatie is a hero, a Marine Corps veteran, and a lesbian. It is this that has caused her problems. You see, Esther was suffering from severe PTSD with accompanying suicidal thoughts and she wanted help. She went to a Dallas-area VA hospital to get that.
Instead, what she got was some Evangelical Christian telling her that she was a sinner because she is lesbian.
Esther is still with us, but let us hope that the nurse has moved on to someplace a bit more suited to her actions like a church.
Esther told the Dallas Voice that:
I included information about my medical discharge injuries, while serving active duty, and that I was suffering from severe depression and possibly PTSD. I heard my name called, “Esther.” I got up and walked toward the voice of the woman, who barely looked at me, and called me “Sir.” I followed her into her office and before I sat down, politely said, “Actually, it’s Ma’am…. My name is Esther.” She sat down and looked at me, and her first question to me was, “Are you a Lesbian?” I honestly stopped for a moment in shock, not knowing what to say. Nowhere on the form, I had just filled out, did it ask me anything about my sexual orientation. I was so confused! I answered honestly, “Yes, I am gay.”
Alright, yes, that is actually an important question because it could impact psychological treatment. As for calling Esther ‘sir’ instead of ‘ma’am’, well, that is also explainable in that many female officers do choose to go by ‘sir’ instead of ‘ma’am’.
