Hunter
09/02/25
A Waterloo hospital nurse who lost her job after showing a tattoo in progress on her buttocks and a picture of her boyfriend’s genital piercing was ruled ineligible to receive unemployment benefits.
Iowa Capital Dispatch reports clinical nurse Laura Williams had worked for Waterloo’s Covenant Medical Center since March of 2021. She was fired on April 24th this year for allegedly violating the company’s sexual harassment policies.
According to testimony at Williams’ recent unemployment hearing, she was having a private conversation with two colleagues at work when she indicated that her boyfriend had his penis pierced and was in the process of giving her a tattoo on her buttocks. One of the co-workers asked to see the tattoo and the piercing, and Williams reportedly showed her colleague a photo of her boyfriend’s penis and also pulled down her pants to show what had so far been tattooed on her buttocks.
One of the nurses reported the incident to hospital administration. Williams told them that she believed the co-workers wanted to see the body art and no patients were present at the time. The Medical Center concluded Williams violated policy and fired her immediately.
At the subsequent unemployment hearing, Administrative Law Judge Duane Golden concluded Williams’ conduct was a deliberate violation and disregards of standards of behavior expected of employees, and denied unemployment benefits.