KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Lee’s Summit man claims he was arrested and forced to leave his partner’s hospital room because the hospital refused to recognize the couple’s gay partnership.
But, the hospital disputes those claims Thursday saying he was asked to leave not because of his sexual orientation, but because of bad behavior.
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Hospital Corporation of America, which is the parent company of Research Medical Center where the incident happened, said the man’s claim is inaccurate.
Roger Gorley said he just wanted to be there for Allen, his partner of almost five years. When he arrived at the medical center on Tuesday, Allen’s brother confronted him and told him to “back off.”
Gorley said he had the power of attorney and had every right to be there. However, HCA said Gorley did not present proof of “power of attorney” during that particular visit.
“‘This is my brother — I will take care of him,’ and I said ‘No, this is my husband I have taken care of him for some time,'” Gorley said.
Gorley claims a nurse wouldn’t accept him as Allen’s husband and had him escorted out by security. He was later arrested by Kansas City, Mo., police.
However, HCA said the decision to ask Gorley to leave was because Gorley and Allen’s brother were fighting inside the hospital room.
SEE ALSO: Police report on incident
“When the nurse went in to ask them to please quiet down and please stop this and they continued, and every time they stepped out it would get escalated, so she stepped back in and asked them to remove themselves for the sake of the patient at the moment,” said Rob Dyer of HCA.
At one point, Dyer said security footage shows a nurse backing out of the room and Gorley was swearing at her, pointing his finger close to her face.
A request for that video must be made through HCA’s legal department and was not yet available.
“He [Gorley] and the patient’s brother were fighting in the patient’s room very loudly, very crassly, inappropriate language,” Dyer said.
While HCA continues to investigate the incident, Dyer said Gorley’s accusations are particularly upsetting given the hospital’s record.
“We were one of the first to have same sex benefits in the market. We were one of the first to acknowledge same sex partnerships.”
FOX 4 attempted to get a response from Gorley for comment, but were unable to reach him.
HCA said Thursday it does not have a restraining order against Gorley and that he is welcome back at anytime. However, a police report shows he has been cited for trespassing and disorderly conduct.
