Sarasota Memorial Health Care System criticized for LGBTQ+ training, hospital responds

SARASOTA, Fla. (FLV) – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is responding after reports that the organization sent LGBTQ+ inclusion training to employees.

Vice President of Human Resources for Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Laurie Bennett issued a statement which confirmed the report, but said the training is not mandatory.

Sarasota Memorial is a publicly funded hospital system. As a public hospital, Sarasota Memorial meets strict requirements regarding governance, taxing authority and the services it provides to the community.

“Sarasota Memorial distributes a series of videos to our staff throughout the year, including one on LGBTQ awareness. They are neither mandatory nor part of our competency training requirements,” Bennett said.

“They are one of many resources we share to help staff stay up-to-date on cultural and diversity issues that may surface in the workplace as we strive to provide high-quality care to our patients,” she said.

The report said Sarasota Memorial Hospital is “sending training to all hospital employees that claims a person can be a different gender than the one ‘assigned to them at birth.'”

Screenshots of the online training were published by the outlet, which was titled “LGBTQ+ Inclusion Healthcare.”

One screenshot said gender identity is defined as “A person’s innermost concept of self as male, female a blend of both or neither.”

“A person’s gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth,” it continued.

The guide said a way to show respect is to “use the pronoun that someone asks you to use” and to “respect everyone’s identity and use the terms that they use for themselves.”