Hospital Handcuffs And Removes Gay Man Visiting His Partner

A Missouri hospital is under fire after using their security guards to handcuff and eject a gay man who was merely visiting his same-sex partner. Roger Gorley says he was arrested and now has a restraining order against him, and is no longer able to visit his partner, Allen Mansell, at the Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

LOOK: 6 Petitions That Send A Strong Message To Missouri Hospital: Do Not Discriminate Against Gay Couples

“I was not recognized as being the husband, I wasn’t recognized as being the partner,” Gorley says, as The Raw Story reports:

He said the nurse refused to confirm that the couple shared power of attorney and made medical decision for each other.

“She didn’t even bother to look it up, to check in to it,” the Lee’s Summit resident recalled.

In a 2010 memorandum, President Barack Obama ordered hospitals that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding to allow visitation rights for gay and lesbian partners.

For its part, Research Medical Center insisted that it does not discriminate based on sexual orientation.

“We believe involving the family is an important part of the patient care process,” the hospital said in a statement. “And, the patient`s needs are always our first priority. When anyone becomes disruptive to providing the necessary patient care, we involve our security team to help calm the situation and to protect our patients and staff. If the situation continues to escalate, we have no choice but to request police assistance.”

Note that the hospital’s statement refers to “family,” but refused to recognize Gorley as Mansell’s family.

Last year, the Mitt Romney campaign came under fire for claiming hospital visitation for gay couples are “benefits” not rights.

In 2011, Rolling Hills Hospital in Franklin, Tennessee, denied a lesbian visitation rights to her partner.

Last year, a Catholic hospital in New Jersey was accused of denying a gay and HIV-positive man his HIV medications, as one doctor on staff reportedly stated, “for going against God’s will.”

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Update: It is unclear who filed the restraining order.