The comfort and sensibilities of conservatives don’t matter to me at all. Sadly this is nothing new.
You are a liberal, and the "comfort and sensibilities of conservatives don’t matter to me at all." So, why should the "comfort and sensibilities" of a liberal matter to any non-liberals at all? Do you not see the hypocrisy you are displaying?
Again EMS is deeply right wing so I understand I am vastly outnumbered and no one will care. I just thought the thread title was a bit much even for an EMS forum.
The real life effect , I would never tell anyone at work I was not straight or introduce them to my family.
Are you kidding me? do you know how many gay and lesbian providers we have in EMS? Are you really calling all of them deeply right-wing?
Maybe if you were honest with your coworkers, you wouldn't feel so insecure around your coworkers. Or maybe if you tried to see things from their point of view you would actually find some areas of common ground.
I love prehospital medicine but quite clearly the family and community that exists is not for us. I don’t go out for drinks after a stressful shift , I am careful to never relate any truly personal stories or share anything real. Any assistance with stress and burnout is found elsewhere. You have to be stupid to trust those that hate you.
Let me tell you about my old fire department... we made fun of white people and black people, single and married people, fat and skinny people, employed and unemployed, males and females. NY sports teams fans and Philly Sports teams fans, Jews and other religions, tall and short people smart and dumb people, old and young people... and just so there is no confusion, we weren't making fun of the public, but rather, our fellow firefighters. We treated members of the public with the utmost respect. We teased our coworkers, but we never did it maliciously, it was just what we did. And yes, we likely should have held weekly sensitivity training classes, but the camaraderie was there.
The walls you are putting up on your own: maybe you should try to go out for drinks after a shift, or share with your coworkers. And if they do something that does offend you, say something. Do you want to do your shift and go home? I can respect that, but if you are intentionally isolating yourself from others, and then complaining that you have to feel all alone and can't be honest, well, I think the issue might be found by looking in a mirror.
BTW, a good buddy of mine is gay. He's also a former Deputy Chief of his local VFD, a career paramedic in two urban cities, and a federal firefighter. Everyone knew he was gay, and since he did his job, no one cared. And yes, I have met his husband, he's met my family, and we have no issues. Painting everyone in EMS as right-wing and anti any group is just wrong.