A relative of mine spent a number of years as a patient in a mental hospital. I have known other people who have spent time in various hospitals and institutions. From their experiences, I have come to the conclusion that here in the US, we take better care of animals we slaughter than of mental-health patients.
It seems that when you go for mental health care, you surrender all of your rights--including your right to saftety, let alone the right to be who you are. At least, the case of Danielle Hunter could tell us as much.
She is a transgender performer who was admitted to Lakeside Behavior Healthcare in Orlando, FL on 24 March after attempting suicide and, while recuperating in a hospital, saying that she would try again. The following night, she was removed from her bed and made to sleep on the floor in front of the nurse's station.
When she asked why she was treated that way, a nurse told her, "If you would like to sleep in a bed, you can sleep in with the men."
What's even more galling about this is that Ms. Hunter has a Florida ID that lists her as female.
Fortunately for her, she is well-known in the Orlando area--and, apparently, beyond--and therefore has some people with "juice" advocating on her behalf. That begs the question of what would happen to her if she were some anonymous street kid--or, for that matter, me.
It seems that when you go for mental health care, you surrender all of your rights--including your right to saftety, let alone the right to be who you are. At least, the case of Danielle Hunter could tell us as much.
She is a transgender performer who was admitted to Lakeside Behavior Healthcare in Orlando, FL on 24 March after attempting suicide and, while recuperating in a hospital, saying that she would try again. The following night, she was removed from her bed and made to sleep on the floor in front of the nurse's station.
When she asked why she was treated that way, a nurse told her, "If you would like to sleep in a bed, you can sleep in with the men."
What's even more galling about this is that Ms. Hunter has a Florida ID that lists her as female.
Fortunately for her, she is well-known in the Orlando area--and, apparently, beyond--and therefore has some people with "juice" advocating on her behalf. That begs the question of what would happen to her if she were some anonymous street kid--or, for that matter, me.
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