Unfortunately, people of all different backgrounds still face discrimination in 2018. This can be attributed to ignorance, upbringing and environment, and/or outwardly projected self-loathing.
While lots of people cowardly discriminate against people behind their computer screen, some are bold enough to actively discriminate against people they meet in the real world.
Despite the fact that Sarah Gray successfully completed medical school and a residency, something most people probably couldn’t achieve even if they tried, she still faces discrimination.
Not only is Gray, of Adelaide, Australia, a doctor but she’s also training to become a surgeon.
But she faces discrimination because of her tattoos. She believes that she’s “The world’s most tattooed doctor.”
While she’s seen as a highly respected member of the tattooed community in Australia, the 30-year-old says she faces discrimination at stores and restaurants.
She says she was shopping for a pair of designer shoes and was completely ignored by store staff when she was trying to get the shoe in her size.
“They all served other customers first and wouldn’t even make eye contact with me,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
“I waited politely for ages and eventually gave up and left. They did themselves out of a sale and I saved myself $1,000, so I guess that’s one bonus!”
And this isn’t the first time that this has happened to Gray.
She and her husband were even kicked out of a restaurant.
“I was out for lunch in a restaurant with my partner on the Gold Coast when we were seated at a table,” she said. “After being seated for lunch, management then came up to us and asked us to leave as they had a ‘no visible tattoo policy’ for diners. That was a little disappointing, to say the least,” Gray explains.
She said she was also almost denied entry to a casino after she and her mostly tattooed friends attended an art expo.
“I was able to discuss my concerns for unfair discrimination based solely on our appearance with management and they bent the rules to allow us access,” she said. “Quite a few night venues seem to have this policy and although it doesn’t affect me very often as I hardly go out, it can be super frustrating when we get categorized as “bad people” or being gang afflicted due to our colourful skin.”
Gray never imagined that her body would be almost completely covered in tattoos.
It started out with a few small pieces from specific artists, then it was a huge back piece, and from there it started to grow even more.
Now she almost has a full body suit of tattoos. So, she believes that the “tattoo bug” is a real thing. Gray says that she’s an “art collector.” Instead of filling her home with art, she fills her body with art.
But being an art collector isn’t easy.
Gray will sometimes have to sit for 12 hours at a time while she gets inked.
“I don’t enjoy the pain (although it’s more of an annoyance that you adjust too) but I certainly enjoy the outcome,” she said. ‘The outcome far outweighs the adversity! Watching a tattoo evolve from the stencil process to a completed piece by layering is mind-blowing.”
Gray, who has been crowned Miss Inked Australia and New Zealand, doesn’t know exactly how many tattoos she has but she has spent more than 300 hours being tattooed.
“Through the tattooing industry I found my soul mate, I have friends scattered all around the world and I’m able to be a positive role model for those around me as a colorful professional in a traditionally conservative industry, like medicine,” she said.
Gray says that there is no reason she should be treated differently than anyone else.
“I’ve worked really hard to develop good professional relationships as I’m fairly memorable, so I’ve made sure I’m memorable for the right reasons through hard work, determination and an always positive attitude,” she says.
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