Pride in paramedicine: being an LGBTQ+ paramedic

02 July 2021
Volume 13 · Issue 7

Abstract

As Pride celebrations kick off worldwide and the current issue of the Journal of Paramedic Press is sent to the printers on 28 June—the very date in history that the first Pride March was held in New York City in 1970—it seems fitting to celebrate Pride in paramedicine and hear from some paramedics in the LGBTQ+ community

I am a gay paramedic working in the emergency medical services in Ecuador. So what is it like being a healthcare provider and a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Ecuador? Well, I can tell you about my experience.

I realised I was attracted to men from a very young age. When I left high school, I knew I wanted to become a healthcare provider but I hadn't decided whether I wanted to become an in-or out-of-hospital medic. At first, I went to medical school where my life became complicated as I faced disrespectful and intolerant medics as professors. I wondered, ‘how could all those years of studying in university not stretch their minds beyond their old-fashioned views about sexual diversity?’

Defeated, I dropped out of medical school. Instead, I decided to try my luck in paramedicine school. People here were extremely different—open-minded and kind. I was on my way to becoming a paramedic and I even started dating someone. We used to study together before exams.

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