I agree with you. We do need to be kind. But not above all things.
While we dont have all the details of this story, it is possible that the pharmacist may have been objecting to this prescription on moral grounds. From one ethical perspective, taking medications to alter ones appearance to become more female-like is immoral because it is intentionally interfering with the functioning of normally functioning organs where there is no disease process. In that case, even though the pharmacist is not the one taking the drug, he may be cooperating in an evil by his role in filling the prescription. His decision to NOT cooperate is the exercise of his conscience rights to refuse to do harm.
Now, having said this, the place to have worked this out is not in front of the patient but with the employer in advance of any such interactions. If the employer did not respect the pharmacists conscience rights, then the pharmacist would need to seek a different employer who did rather than commit the immoral act.
You are correct. It is important to always be kind. But it is more important to be moral and kind. One is not being kind by participating in a morally repugnant act of self mutilation.
You are correct. It is important to always be kind. But it is more important to be moral and kind. One is not being kind by participating in a morally repugnant act of self mutilation.