Alexandra Ortiz
Photo: Central Park, NYC by George Hodan
A makeshift 14-tent hospital in Central Park has caused many New Yorkers to be concerned over its evangelical Christian leadership.
Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, medical centers have become overwhelmed with a rapid influx of new patients. The need for more hospital beds prompted the construction of a field hospital in Central Park, which opened on March 31st. It is a respiratory-care unit containing 68 beds and 10 ventilators, with the purpose of accepting Mount Sinai’s overflow patients.
Despite these preparations, there is a salient uneasiness over the availability of care for all New Yorkers. The relief organization that built the hospital, Samaritan’s Purse, includes in its “Statement of Faith” the declaration that they, “believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female” and the belief that “He [God] will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell.” The organization’s president, Franklin Graham, is known for a myriad of anti-LGBTQ statements, such as the following from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Decision Magazine website: “I want to thank President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for making the decision not to fly the gay flag over our embassies during June in recognition of gay pride month.”
Volunteers and health care workers are all asked by the group to read and adhere to the group’s statement of faith. Graham told the Guardian that “a handful” of individuals were rejected as volunteers at the hospital for their refusal to sign this non-negotiable declaration. Timothy Lunceford-Stevens told the Reclaim Pride Coalition that his application was rejected by Samaritan’s Purse when he stated that he, “could not sign a ‘Statement of Faith’ that is homophobic [and] transphobic”.
Ross Murray, the senior director of the GLAAD Media Institute, wrote in an op-ed, “As the CEO of a religious institution, Graham can legally instruct his field hospital to turn away LGBTQ people with symptoms, leaving them on their own to find care elsewhere. It’s terrible to think that he would issue such an order, but Graham has long fought for religious hospitals, or even individual staff members, to be able to do just that” Thus, it is vital that Graham confirms and puts into practice a policy of no discrimination towards LGBTQ patients and passionate volunteers.
It is no surprise that such vitriol would be a cause for concern for LGBTQ New Yorkers, who are put in the position of facing possible discrimination from the group when attempting to receive medical assistance. Amy Martin, a Brooklyn resident and former nursing assistant, voiced to the Gothamist, “On the one hand, this is absolutely an all hands on deck situation. On the other hand, as an LGBT New Yorker, I would be hesitant to make that my first choice of care. I'd much rather be seen anywhere else." State Senator Brad Hoylman stated, “His hostility towards LGBTQ people does not comport, in my opinion, with his desire to provide assistance and relief to New Yorkers during this time of crisis. That said, the federal government has put us in the unfortunate position of having to accept charity from bigots like Franklin Graham and at the very least I think it’s government’s responsibility to ensure that he follows the law.’" He states that he will be keeping a close eye on the hospital to be certain that there is a lack of discrimination towards patients. Mayor Bill de Blasio stated, “We're going to send people over from the Mayor's Office to monitor.”
Hoylman also stated, ““I do fear that we’ve given Franklin Graham a platform in one of the most famous pieces of public land in the country to spew his hatred of LGBTQ people, and unfortunately at the same time legitimise his homophobia.” Graham has indeed used the tent hospital as a way of furthering his proselytizing. Reclaim Pride Coalition member Natalie James stated, “Franklin Graham, their notoriously transphobic and homophobic leader of their organisation, had an Easter sermon right there in Central Park next to those tents, which I can only imagine was furthering their fundraising.” The organization protested outside of the hospital on April 14th. An ER doctor at Mount Sinai stated, "Anytime there’s a disaster, there’s going to be people taking advantage. We should not be politicizing health care in times of need, which is what this organization is all about.”
In response to these concerns, Mayor Bill de Blasio stated, “We’ve received those assurances from the organization” regarding equal treatment for patients.
Comentarios