Barbara: “We finished at church and Nakoa was eating some cookies and he just started turning red and coughing non-stop. We drove to the fire station because it was five minutes away. I thought, ‘Oh, thank God, they’re going to help us.’”
Nakoa: “I’ve been living as a man for almost three years and I always wear a binder, but I took it off [that morning] because I was having trouble breathing.”
Barbara: “When we got to the fire station, the Emergency Medical Services guys unbuttoned Nakoa’s shirt all the way [and then stopped helping when they realized he was transgender.] They said there was nothing they could do.”
Nakoa: “When I realized they were not going to help, the only thing I could think of is, ‘We have to leave.’ That’s a real sensitive situation—with a bunch of guys standing around and my shirt wide open. We were lucky and found a doctor nearby who gave me steroid shots to help me breathe.”
Barbara: “The doctor said Nakoa could have died [because of the delay]. I don’t care if you don’t like us, but to turn someone away in a life-threatening situation…I couldn’t believe it.”
Nakoa: “I filed a complaint later with the Fire Commission, but it came down to my word against five reputable firemen.”