A distressing incident unfolded at a Walgreens pharmacy in Oakland, California, when a transgender man was denied his hormone replacement medication. Here’s what happened.
He Was a Regular Customer
Roscoe Rike, a 30-year-old transgender resident of Oakland, had been a regular customer at the Walgreens pharmacy on Telegraph Avenue for nearly a decade.
The Unexpected Incident
But during his recent visit, an unfamiliar pharmacist refused to hand over his hormone replacement prescription.
It Was Due to Religion
The pharmacist claimed that filling the prescription conflicted with his religious beliefs.
He Recorded What Was Happening
Reacting to the denial, Rike began recording a video of the interaction, confronting the pharmacist about his authority to override a doctor’s prescription.
It Wasn’t Any of Their Business
Rike’s frustration was evident as he asserted that his medical information was not the pharmacist’s concern.
He Called His Doctor for Proof
Despite Rike’s protests, the pharmacist persisted in denying him the medication even after making phone calls for consultation.
He Insisted on Speaking to the Manager
Feeling helpless and distressed, Rike insisted on speaking to a manager.
He Had to Call a Manager
After involving an employee familiar with Rike’s situation, a manager was called in and promptly resolved the issue.
He Was Devastated
Rike expressed profound emotional pain caused by the incident and vowed to file a formal complaint with the Walgreens corporate office.
He Went to Get Help
He also reached out to the transgender law center for support and guidance in addressing the discrimination he experienced.
The Pharmacy Issued a Statement
In response to the alleged incident, Walgreens issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to meeting the needs of patients while respecting the religious and moral beliefs of its team members.
The Company Has a Policy in Place
The company outlined its policy of requiring employees with religious or moral objections to refer customers to another employee or manager who can fulfill their needs.
They asserted that such instances are rare.
Twitter User Shared Their Opinions
Several Twitter users expressed their thoughts on the incident.
One user wrote, “I don’t think dispensing medication is covered by religious beliefs. Would the tech do the same if a person needed their insulin/heart meds/weight loss meds because of their beliefs? As far as I know, there’s nothing in any religious text that says it’s against God to be Trans.”
He Should Work Someplace Else?
Another Twitter user commented, “If your beliefs mean you have to be a “jerk and not do your job. Go work somewhere where that’s not an issue. You’re there to give people their prescriptions, not make your beliefs stand in the way of their treatment.”
He Was Named After a God
Recently, a Reddit user shared a story where he legally changed his name, and as a result, his father threatened him. Here’s the full story. His Father Gave Him a Name That Resulted in Him Being Bullied, He Legally Changed It, and Now His Father Is Demanding He Change It Back
He’s a Family Man
Reddit has again provided a source of entertaining reading. Recently on a subthread, a happily married man told the story about a recent visit to the gym. He Went to the Gym for a Work-Out and Took off His Wedding Ring, She Saw Him, Assumed He Fancied Her and Has a Meltdown
Trashy Habits
In a neighborhood plagued by inconsiderate neighbors, one woman took matters into her own hands – or rather, paws. Her Neighbors Were Abusive to Her Dog, so She Decided to Give Them a Taste of His Fur!
Bucky’s Parking Predicament
In this encounter, Bucky, a veteran visiting a hardware store, finds himself in a parking dispute with a self-proclaimed Captain America. Let’s find out how this entertaining showdown unfolds in the battle for parking supremacy. A Guy Tried to Shame This Veteran Out of His Parking Space, so He Got Some Revenge
The post This Pharmacy Refused to Give a Trans Man His Hormone Prescription Due to “Religious Beliefs” first appeared on Career Step Up
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Ground Picture. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit
