Given my own Kafkaesque experiences with the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, this story hardly comes as a surprise. Joseph Peña, writing for The San Diego News Network, has a couple of pieces up about a married gay couple, Gary Rader and Anthony Gioffre, who, while applying for a healthcare program, were told “the county of San Diego does not recognize same-sex marriage.” Here is Peña’s earlier piece: Discrimination alleged at county health center
County apologizes for mistreatment of gay couple
The county’s Health and Human Services Agency issued an apology Wednesday to a married gay couple who claimed they were mistreated Monday during an eligibility interview for County Medical Services.
After contacting friends, neighbors, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and talking with San Diego News Network, the couple – Gary Rader, 48, and Anthony Gioffre, 50 – received a call from an HHSA spokesperson late Wednesday.
The couple claims county employees denied Gioffre access to Rader’s eligibility interview for CMS, a program that funds medical care for uninsured adult county residents. Gioffre said two employees told him he could not accompany Rader to the interview because “the county of San Diego does not recognize same-sex marriage.”
Gioffre said a supervisor on site at Mission Valley Family Resource Center for County Medical Services told him it is county policy to not recognize same-sex marriages, and that the policy was directed by “no one in particular.”
The county of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency e-mailed this statement to San Diego News Network on Wednesday: “Although confidentiality laws preclude our commenting on specific cases, applicants for County assistance programs may request anyone to accompany them to an eligibility determination interview. It has been brought to our attention that a staff member did not act in accordance with County policies and procedures in a particular case, and we are following up with the staff member to take appropriate corrective action. County staff have also contacted the parties involved and issued apologies for the employee’s erroneous actions.”
Pena notes, “For the time being, Gioffre said, he’s ‘called off the dogs,’ and isn’t planning legal recourse – but, he said, the couple plans to follow up with the county in a few months to make sure employees have been properly trained on policy.”
Gioffre adds, “If the county has apologized and institutes a new training program to direct public policy, then we’ve made progress.”
Mike says: I disagree. Stop coddling the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency bigots. Anti-GLBT treatment like this will not stop until we get in their faces and stay there. Drag their asses into court. Suspend that employee and that employee’s supervisor without pay until they complete their policy, sensitivity and diversity training.
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