DETROIT — Recently a male nurse filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, claiming he was terminated from his position for treating Muslim women. John Benitez Jr. filed the gender discrimination lawsuit after his termination from Dearborn’s health department. 

In the suit he claims following Sep. 2010 a female nursing supervisor informed him that it would be best for him to stop treating conservative women who wear the traditional Islamic head scarf. The lawsuit states he was required to send Muslim women to the nursing supervisor for assistance. Benitez continued to follow instructions until a physician questioned why he avoided treating a particular Muslim woman. He responded explaining he was directed not to treat Muslim women by the nursing supervisor. 

After Benitez followed the physician’s instructions and started treating Muslim women, he was terminated shortly afterwards. According to the suit Benitez was notified that he was let go because the clinic’s conservative male Muslim clients didn’t want another male treating female patients, not because of his performance. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages in addition to lost wages and benefits.