Gay Nurse Fired Over Incident From 1976

In the '70s, Ray Fetcho was sometimes known as "Tiny Tina," an outsize drag queen who hosted parties and gay events in South Florida. While hosting a "Wet Jockey Shorts Night" in 1976, "Tina" was arrested for promoting a lewd act and was later convicted, and now Florida's health board is using that as reason to fire him from his job at an assisted living facility.

The 61-year-old Fetcho has plenty of friends and coworkers who vouch for his nursing abilities and are ready to help him in a lawsuit against Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration. The AHCA discovered the 34-year-old arrest and conviction while doing a routine screening inspection of nursing home employees. Fetcho was told he would be unable to stay at his job at Victoria Villa in Davie. The state could also take away his ability to work anywhere in Florida as a licensed practical nurse.

Norm Kent, an attorney in Fort Lauderdale, has taken Fetcho's case pro bono. "I promise you that this injustice will be cured and that Ray Fetcho will get an exemption -- and be restored to his tenure as an LPN," Kent told SouthFloridaGayNews.com, a publication he coincidentally owns.

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