Breast cancer patient Marlene Barbera who was banned from Oregon hospital weeks before mastectomy after she complained about a transgender pride flag stuck to clinic wall

An Oregan woman with breast cancer has spoken out after allegedly being banned from her medical clinic for questioning the presence of a trans flag in the medical setting.  

Marlene Barbera, 55, who was dropped by Richmond Family Medicine Clinic in Portland just weeks before her scheduled mastectomy told DailyMail.com that she has been living in fear since she was cut off form her medical provider. 

‘I am fearful in this city and hope that I am safe when I am vulnerable in hospital’ Barbera said on Monday. 

Richmond Family Medicine Clinic wrote to Barbera at the end of June to inform her that she was no longer welcome as a patient following the incident where she objected to the trans flag in the clinic’s waiting room. 

‘Effective immediately, you are discharged from receiving medical care at the Richmond Family Medicine Clinic. This action is being taken because of ongoing disrespectful and hurtful remarks about our LGBTQ community and staff’ the letter wrote.

Marlene Barbera, who has breast cancer, was dropped by Richmond Family Medicine Clinic in Portland just weeks before her scheduled mastectomy

‘Effective immediately, you are discharged from receiving medical care at the Richmond Family Medicine Clinic. This action is being taken because of ongoing disrespectful and hurtful remarks about our LGBTQ community and staff’ the letter wrote 

‘Please note that you are also now dismissed from all OHSU Family Medicine clinics, including Immediate Care clinics.’ 

Following the initial objection to the flag, Barbera laid out her concerns in a MyChart message to the clinic. 

‘I do not feel comfortable, as a gender critical woman, who believes gender to be a nonsense and sexed bodies to be a reality, I do not feel comfortable coming into Richmond with that enormous transgenderism banner hanging like a Nazi flag behind the reception desk’ she wrote. 

In the message Barbera said she has been harassed with death and rape threats from trans activists and therefore found it ‘daunting’ to go for medical treatment with a banner representing the same movement. 

Barbera told DailyMail.com that she underwent her double mastectomy at another clinic and is recovering.

However, she does not yet have a primary care doctor after being shut off from Richmond. 

The situation has been compounded by a recent scan that showed she had ‘a septal infarct of undetermined age meaning I have had a heart attack in the recent past.’ 

‘I am currently at Providence, St. Vincent and they couldn’t be kinder, more involved and interested or more patient-centric, it is as night the day’ Barbera explained. 

Richmond Family Medicine Clinic wrote to Barbera at the end of June to inform her that she was no longer welcome as a patient

Barbera, 55, says she has been living in fear since she was cut off form her medical provider.

In an email following the initial objection to the flag Barbera laid out her concerns in a MyChart message to the clinic

Barbera told DailyMail.com that she underwent her double mastectomy at another clinic and is recovering

Although a lawyer has been in touch Barbera says she is not yet clear on what her next steps might be. 

After the initial objection to the flag Barbera told Reduxx she had a confrontation with a member of the clinic’s reception team.

‘The person insisted I make an appointment. I have breast cancer and consequently an abundance of medical appointments so I did not want to do that. They got frustrated with my “non-compliance” and hung up on me,’ she told the publication.

‘Thinking it might have been in error, I called back. I was told I was “not allowed” and that I must speak to the previous person who had hung up on me. I declined as things hadn’t gone well the first time.’ 

Barbera believed the hostility was because of her objection to the flag and asked ‘did I hurt the trans person’s feelings?’ which the receptionist reportedly took objection to. 

A few weeks later she received the message that she had been removed as a patient. 

Barbera told Reduxx her ‘anxiety [is] through the roof,’ and that the experience had triggered her long-standing struggle with depression.

‘I have severe chronic agitated depression since teen years,’ Barbera said. 

‘I have been made to feel like a worthless nothing’ she added. 

OHSU offers trans healthcare for children under the age of fifteen if they have consent from their parents. 

‘You can consent to medical care in Oregon starting at age 15. Before that, we want one or both parents to sign medical consent forms’ the medical provider’s page on rans healthcare states. 

‘Even when teens can consent on their own, we encourage support and involvement from parents.’ 

According to Baiz Law, doctor’s do have the right to deny patients medical treatment and this can be because a ‘patient is disruptive or otherwise difficult to handle’ or a ‘doctor’s personal convictions’ prevent them from doing so. 

The OHSU Family Medicine clinics did not immediately respond to request for comment.