Physician assistant fired, branded as “evil” for not calling transgenders by their preferred PRONOUNS
10/02/2022 / By Ramon Tomey
A physician assistant in Michigan was fired and branded as “evil” for refusing to call transgender patients by their “preferred pronouns.”
Valerie Kloosterman, a physician assistant at the University of Michigan Health-West (UMHW) hospital, called transgender patients by their first name. She also expressed unwillingness to refer patients for gender reassignment surgery, owing to her Christian faith. This did not sit well with UMHW administrators.
Kloosterman’s refusal to bow down to the LGBT agenda and violate her beliefs was tackled in a July 2021 meeting with hospital officials. According to Kloosterman, UMHW Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Thomas Pierce “grew hostile, visibly angry with tight fists and a flushed demeanor.” He subsequently attacked Kloosterman’s religious beliefs, telling the physician assistant that “she could not take the Bible or her religious beliefs to work with her, either literally or figuratively.”
Pierce also accused Kloosterman of being responsible for “transgender suicides,” calling her “evil” for abusing her power as a healthcare provider – given her opposition to preferred pronouns and gender reassignment surgery. She was fired on August 2021, a month after the meeting. (Related: Christian doctor FIRED for saying gender is determined at birth… the anti-science assault on biological reality goes ballistic.)
According to Kloosterman, UMHW Human Resources Director Marla Cole and Advanced Practice Providers’ Liaison Officer Catherine Smith handed her a notice of termination during an Aug. 24, 2021 meeting. The physician assistant was not informed prior that she would be fired on that day, and that she was not allowed to return to her office and complete patient charts. Kloosterman was also banned on the premises of any hospital under the Michigan Health network, which UMHW is a part of.
Peter VanLaan, associate general counsel for UMHW, said the hospital “is committed to providing appropriate medical treatment to all patients and respects the religious beliefs of its employees.” He added that the health system “does not discuss personal issues and, as such, has no further comment.”
Requests for comment sent to Pierce and the Michigan Health media relations team were not immediately returned.
Kloosterman pushes back, threatens legal action
In response to her termination, Kloosterman reached out to the First Liberty Institute (FLI). The religious liberty nonprofit then wrote a letter to UMHW, accusing it of violating religious freedom laws.
The FLI’s Sept. 27 letter alleged that the hospital “denigrated her religious beliefs, attempted to compel her to speak against her conscience and make referrals for medical services that violate her conscience, discriminated against her for her religious beliefs and refused to reasonably accommodate her.”
Moreover, the FLI outlined that the hospital violated the First Amendment, the Michigan Constitution, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976.
“We respectfully request that Michigan Health reinstate Kloosterman to her position, with an acceptable accommodation and assurance as soon as possible,” the letter wrote, warning that “failure to do so will continue to violate federal and state law and will result in legal action against all responsible parties.”
Citing performance reviews Kloosterman provided, the letter mentioned “exemplary” comments about her during her 17-year stint at UMHW.
“Valerie goes way beyond the call of duty when dealing with patients. She is very ethical [and] responsible, and treats all with respect,” wrote her supervisor. Another review described her as “a pleasure to work with” due to her “excellent knowledge, ethics, respect, communication and skills.”
The letter by FLI elaborated that Kloosterman, a longtime member of a United Reformed Church, believes that “one should not attempt to erase or alter his or her [biological] sex – especially through drugs or surgical means.”
“Moreover, as a Christian medical professional – she believes that it would be sinful to assist a patient in procuring sterilizing drugs or surgical procedures designed to erase or alter his or her sex.”
Watch this video that talks about Chicago-based NorthShore University HealthSystem settling a religious discrimination lawsuit for $10 million.
This video is from THE HEALTHY AMERICAN channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Judge orders reinstatement of Virginia teacher fired over comments against transgenders.
TRANS TYRANNY: Teacher arrested and IMPRISONED for using “wrong” student pronouns.
Sources include:
FirstLiberty.org [PDF]
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