Walgreens Pharmacist Denies Trans Man His HRT Meds Because Of ‘Religious Beliefs’

A transgender man took to Reddit to express his dismay after a pharmacist at his local Walgreens refused to give him his prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medication, all because it “went against his religion.”

Roscoe Rike, 30, of Oakland, says he has been going to the same Walgreens pharmacy on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, California, for nearly a decade. He’s been picking up his HRT meds at the same location for the past three years, always without issue, he told local news station KRON4.

However, Rike says when he visited the store earlier this week, he was attended by a pharmacist he had never seen at the location before. The employee began by asking Rike what exactly the medication was for, which seemed unusual.

“I told him I was pretty sure that it wasn’t any of his business,” Rike responded.

The pharmacist responded by telling Rike that he would not be able to fill the prescription “due to his religious beliefs,” Rike said.

That’s when Rike decided to start recording their conversation. Video from the interaction shows the pharmacist standing at the pharmacy computer behind a plexiglass partition.

“So right now you’re telling me that you’re going to deny me my medication because of your personal religion, you’re not my f*****g doctor,” Rike fires back.

After another exchange, the pharmacist suggests that Rike should come back a while later when another member of the pharmacy team would help him. The video then cuts off.

Rike tells KRON4 he refused to come back at a later time, as he had already called the store to confirm his medication was ready and had walked over to pick it up.

“At this point, I completely lost my temper and demanded to speak to a manager,” Rike said.

The pharmacist walked away and a pharmacy technician called the manager to the front desk.

“The manager who arrived apologized profusely, as did a few of the other workers,” Rike said.

The manager was able to give him his medication, but Rike said that was not enough.

“I don’t know about the legality of what he did, but if it was legal, we need to change the law,” Rike said.

Rike has since contacted the Transgender Law Center and says he plans on filing a formal complaint with the Walgreens corporate office.

He is warning fellow transgender people to avoid picking up their HRT at that location because they could be denied care.

Responding to KRON4, Walgreens said it cannot discuss individual patient interactions due to privacy, but it will “review the matter.”

“Our policies are designed to ensure we meet the needs of our patients and customers, while respecting the religious and moral beliefs of our team members. In an instance where a team member has a religious or moral conviction that prevents them from meeting a customer’s need, we require the team member to refer the customer to another employee or manager on duty who can complete the transaction. These instances, however, are very rare,” Walgreens said in their statement.

Was denied my HRT medication at the temescal walgreens by a transphobic religious bigot
by u/lokigoeswoof in oakland