An unknown clinic gives patients an ingenious way to signal they need help to escape domestic abuse. Even better, the sign telling victims what do is LGBTQ inclusive.
The sign in the clinic’s restroom gives the patient two ways to return a urine sample to nurses. There is a black marker to initial the cup, but if the patient uses a red marker instead, it will flag the staff to assist them.
Related: A district attorney won’t prosecute gay domestic violence cases because he’s a ‘good Christian’
“Please put only your initials on your specimen and place it on the back of the toilet. Your nurse will collect your specimen,” the sign reads over a black Sharpie.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“Please write your initials with the red marker on the specimen cup if you are experiencing intimate partner violence, domestic violence, or anything else you wish to discuss in confidence with your provider,” the sign says over a red Sharpie. “We will ask anyone accompanying you today to leave the room before discussing your concerns.”
One in three women and one in four men have been physically abused by an intimate partner in their lifetimes and on a typical day, domestic violence hotlines nationwide receive about 20,800 calls.
A 2014 study found that “21.5 percent of men and 35.4 percent of women living with a same-sex partner experienced intimate-partner physical violence in their lifetimes.” Transgender respondents had an incidence of 34.6 percent over a lifetime according to another survey.
A National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Study conducted in 2011 stated that LGBTQ communities of color are one of the demographic groups experiencing high incidents of domestic violence.
Similar, venue-appropriate signs are popping up around the nation. A British bar instructs women to ask for “Angela” at the bar to signal staff that she needs help. Other nightclubs ask victims to order a certain drink.
“A lot of bars in my area have a ‘Minotaur’ policy. If you’re in an uncomfortable position, order a Minotaur from the server or bartender. You’ll get a non-alcoholic drink to keep you occupied while the person making you feel uncomfortable or threatened is addressed and removed,” one person sharing the graphic commented.
“And if you need the police, you can ‘make it a double.'”
Powerful. Comment if you’d implement this (or do) at your facility. Via Upworthy
Posted by Scrubs Magazine on Monday, January 20, 2020
