Walgreens pharmacist busted on video allegedly refusing hormone prescription for intersex patient

A transphobic Walgreens pharmacy manager in Bristol, Virginia allegedly refused to fill a hormone replacement therapy prescription for an intersex child because of the manager’s personal beliefs.

A video posted to Twitter by a TikTok user named Rose Hawley contains audio of Hawley arguing with the pharmacist Collin Jones. Jones has worked at Walgreens for 18 years.

Related:

Pharmacist is on trial for denying morning-after-pill to woman & not telling where she could get it

The complaint states the mom traveled 100 miles round trip “while a massive snowstorm was headed to central Minnesota” to get the emergency prescription filled.

At the video’s start, Hawley says, “So this isn’t really about healthcare, is what you’re saying to me?”

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The pharmacist responds, “Look, I’m not going to argue with you…. I came to help.”

Hawley says, “You’re not helping.”

“No,” Jones says, “I’m not going to help you with this.”

Hawley repeats, “You’re not helping, and you don’t understand the struggle and you don’t understand the situation, so you need to…”

Jones says, “Sounds like you have some problems that you need to work on.”

Hawley responds, “I don’t have any problems. The problem that I have is that this should be filled. She [the doctor] is licensed in Virginia, so I’m not sure why your Walgreens regulations precede state regulations.”

Jones responds, “You’re not listening again…. It’s not state, it’s not anything. I personally myself, Collin Jones, will not fill this prescription…. and you can do whatever.”

The customer says, “Oh I will.”

The pharmacist replies, “Oh I’m sure you will.”

Hawley then yells, “Because there’s a lot of people in my position. There’s a lot of kids in my position, there are a lot of people that their healthcare is…”

As Jones begins to interrupt, Hawley says, “You’re not listening to me.”

Jones replies, “I’m not going to listen.”

Hawley asks, “Then why should I listen to you?”

The pharmacist replies, “You’re right. Have a good day.”

A transphobic Walgreens pharmacy manager in Virginia refuses to fill an HRT prescription over personal beliefs pic.twitter.com/a1AEhStwYa

— Marjorie Gaylor Queen 🏳️‍🌈 (@Tim_Tweeted) October 10, 2023

LGBTQ Nation reached out to Walgreens for comment and this article will be updated if they reply.

In a follow-up video, Hawley explained that she was picking up the prescription for a “loved one” and she didn’t want to “make a big scene” because this loved one was in the pharmacy with her at the time. In another video, Hawler explained that the prescription was for an intersex child.

Intersex refers to a variety of conditions where a person’s reproductive or sexual anatomy doesn’t fit the typical male or female definitions.

Hawley also explained that she wore a visible pentacle necklace into the pharmacy at the time of her visit, and she wondered if the pharmacist saw the necklace and reacted badly to it. She claimed that — early into the conversation and before she started filming — that the pharmacist told her that she had “a chip on her shoulder.”

A pentacle, a star surrounded by a circle, is a common pagan charm whose points represent the four elements and inner self. The charm is believed to provide protection and authority to its wearer, though it’s unclear whether Hawley believes in any of these associations.

“I actually came in there simply anticipating getting a prescription filled by a licensed medical professional,” Hawley said. “[His comment about the chip on my shoulder] actually took me aback and from that point on, he was aggressive.”

She called Collins’s refusal to fill the prescription “a matter of personal religious beliefs getting in the way of much-needed health care.” She also discouraged her followers from advocating violence or leaving hateful comments, but said that she had filed an official complaint with Walgreens and would be filing a complaint with the state pharmacy board.

“Love people,” she said. “Just love people. Stop being so hateful. Stop being so ugly. Learn to love.” In her video, she added the hashtags #transgenderhealthcare #transgendercommunity, and #transgenderrightsarehumanrights.

@rosehawley

@Walgreens @Pride #transgenderhealthcare #transgendercommunity #transgenderrightsarehumanrights

♬ original sound – Rose Hawley542

This isn’t the first time that a Walgreens pharmacist has been accused of refusing to prescribe HRT to a customer. A similar incident occurred Oakland, California in June when a pharmacist cited their religious beliefs while refusing to fill the prescription.

At the time, Walgreens said in a statement, “Our policies are designed to ensure we meet the needs of our patients and customers, while respecting the religious and moral beliefs of our team members. In an instance where a team member has a religious or moral conviction that prevents them from meeting a customer’s need, we require the team member to refer the customer to another employee or manager on duty who can complete the transaction. These instances, however, are very rare.”

Last year, a woman reported that an employee at a Wisconsin Walgreens refused to sell her condoms, citing her “faith.”

Similar incidents have also occurred in other pharmacies. Last June, a transgender woman in Florida said that her local Publix pharmacy refused to refill her prescription for gender-affirming medication while they evaluated the implications of a new state law banning gender-affirming healthcare for minors. In 2018, a pharmacist at an Arizona CVS refused to fill a transgender woman’s HRT prescription.