WOW!! HIV Positive Man Banned From Touching Doorknobs At Work

[one_voice]

While discrimination against people with HIV is certainly nothing new, the level of harassment suffered by James White of Detroit, Michigan brings back memories of the darkest days of the initial outbreak. Abetted by President Reagan’s now infamous silence and complete inaction, ill-informed rumors about HIV spread as quickly as the disease itself. Millions of lost lives and decades later, we’re still dealing with the fallout from that total failure in leadership.

James White was diagnosed with HIV, which is hard enough to deal with but the response of his co-workers must have been devastating. Upon learning of his condition, White was banned from touching doorknobs at his workplace, Great Expressions Dental Centers. Yes, you read that correctly and the title of the article was not an exaggeration. In addition, his co-workers followed him around with a bottle of Lysol as if he were oozing germs. Finally, his schedule was constantly rearranged, sometimes without his knowledge, and White was repeatedly disciplined for his “unexcused abscences.” I’ve seen that particular tactic used before to get rid of “problem” employees and it is both cowardly and extremely risky. The gamble is that the employee won’t realize that it is illegal to be fired in this fashion, which White was after been hospitalized for a week due to illness. This time, the gamble did not pay off as White is suing his former employer. One of the more shocking aspects of this is that he worked with actual doctors and was still treated like a pariah by people whose very job it is to know better.

To make matters worse, if that’s even possible, White did not even work with patients or equipment. He was a billing clerk. There wasn’t even the specter of him being a danger to the public which might have mitigated the disgusting manner in which White was treated. No, it was simply fear and ignorance on the part of his co-workers. Again, some of whom were medical professionals.

A petition has been started on Change.org:

We demand the immediate resignation of the regional director of Great Expressions Dental in Detroit for discriminatory tactics and hindrance of employment equal opportunity. Furthermore, we demand that reparations be paid in full to Mr. White for the entirety of what is being asked.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/12/21/hiv-positive-man-banned-from-touching-doorknobs-at-work/

[elehhhhna]

1. with the settlement he's getting he;ll be set for life

which willl probably be a long one.

[Journeyman]

2. Why didn't they just make him work in a hamster ball? . . .

[REP]

3. I hope he ends up OWNING that business

and everything the current owners have.

[William769]

4. I think they should get a bunch of HIV positive people together

To visit that dental office and have a sit-in.

[JackBeck]

5. 30 years into the epidemic and we're still having to deal with stigma and discrimination.

Just a few year ago, a young kid living with HIV was denied access to the pool at his grandparent's trailer park when the neighbors found out his status.

There is so much misguided fear surrounding interacting with people living with HIV. I wish there was a clear solution to how we could erase all of the stigma.

[sabbat hunter]

6. I wonder wha their defense will be

That he was deliberately cutting himself and spreading his blood everywhere? I mean seriously WTF?!?

[etherealtruth]

12. Abject stupidity

Their only defense ... they are too stupid to understand disease transmission. If the virus was this easily transmitted we would all be HIV+ by now.

[Yo_Mama]

13. Maybe, but too stupid to understand compassion?

In any case, it doesn't make you feel very good about a medical clinic, the management of which is too stupid to understand disease transmission. Is that even possible?

This would be awful and inexcusable at any workplace, but it is unfathomable in a medical clinic.

Even basic logic ... surely they must know that some of the patients coming in have HIV! As you say, if it were that easily transmitted, we'd all have it now.

[etherealtruth]

15. I know

This kind of behavior is both unconscionable and unfathomable ...?

[Yo_Mama]

16. In short, words fail us and we are left

figuratively standing with our mouths hanging open in stunned amazement.

I don't think any settlement could be adequate to compensate for that type of treatment.

[Spazito]

7. I found their website and this is no small company...

they are in 7 states with a 150 outlets overall. While trying to find a "contact us" link (there was only one to make an appointment, none for anything else) I found this letter on their site, entitled "Great Expressions' Commitment To Diversity", a pathetic, pitiful attempt to whitewash what was done.

Here is the link to the letter:

http://www.greatexpressions.com/Diversity

By the time Mr. White is through with them, I hope they don't have enough money left to keep the lights on.

[PeaceNikki]

8. Shameful.

[sarcasmo]

9. This country goes backward on a daily basis.

[racaulk]

10. That is absolutely unconsionable.

It amazes me that this level of ignorance and stamina surrounding HIV is *still* so pervasive. I signed the petition, and gladly so.

Would it be OK with you if I crossposted this in the HIV/AIDS Support group for more exposure?

[etherealtruth]

11. Sheer idiocy

Perhaps they need to learn a little about disease transmission or common sense.

Think about all the door knobs "they" touch and have no idea who has touched it before them ... I personally worry about e. coli from idiots that don't wash their hands after defecating!

[azurnoir]

14. This company is supposedly in the medical profession

it's their job to know better hopefully Mr White wins his case

[kestrel91316]

17. Ok, but this all happened in 1985, right. Right??????

Please tell me it did.

[Heywood J]

18. Wow, that's utterly ignorant for supposed professionals.

Even as a grade school kid in school in the early nineties, I learned that HIV wasn't contagious unless blood or bodily fluids were involved, that touching doorknobs, toilet seats, etc. won't spread it.

[msanthrope]

19. He has his EEOC letter and a good lawyer. I wish him peace, and a good settlement. nt

[bullwinkle428]

20. What an astounding level of ignorance that still pervades this country to this day.

K&R.

[LeftishBrit]

21. Argh. How ignorant!

[LynneSin]

22. Wow, when did we turn the clock back to the 80s

This was the kind of bad reaction people had towards AIDs back in the 80s but to be fair AIDs was something new and we were still learning.

But anyone who thinks you can get AIDs from a doorknob should be quarenteed to a rubber room where we can prevent their seed from populating the gene pool ever again.