Southwest kicks actress off flight after lesbian kiss

[jpljr77]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/l-word-leisha-hailey-southwest-airlines-240227">The L Word actress Leisha Hailey says she was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight after kissing her girlfriend.

They kick off a lot of people, apparently. Is that one of the costs of cheap air travel?

[ixion]

1. it's one of the by-products of the unPATRIOTic Act and the TSA, in my opinion

airlines now feel free to humiliate and/or abuse anyone they don't like.

[jpljr77]

5. Or, acquiesce to every biggoted asshole passenger that barfs out a complaint

you know, in the name of "safety" and all.

When some of my friends in Europe ask, "What's the worst thing about America today?" I have a very simple reply: "The stupidest, most hateful people -- who were marginalized and hidden for centuries -- finally have a voice and willing ears. And they're using it."

[lunatica]

2. Was it a deep tongue, roll around in the aisles kiss?

That's the only thing that would justify being thrown off.

[seabeyond]

3. i was thinkin.... nt

[Aerows]

10. They got thrown off

because they got upset at the flight attendant who was being homophobic, and telling them it was a "family airline" as though two women who have been together for 6 years doesn't qualify as a "family".

Frankly, I would have had some choice words for the flight attendant myself. Naturally, homophobic flight attendant threw her weight around and had them escorted off the plane.

[Ian David]

4. I would pay extra for a seat in the lesbian kissing section. n/t

[hedgehog]

6. We have a winnah!

[hedgehog]

7. Southwest scores free publicity, once again.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. Yeah

BAD publicity! :puke: Clearly, they don't know a thing of beauty when they see it. ;)

[Aerows]

9. According to the article, they were escorted off

because they got upset when the Flight Attendant told them that it was a "family airline" and that kissing wasn't acceptable.

Frankly, if I gave my girlfriend a kiss on a plane and a flight attendant told me that, I'd get upset, too. Straight people give each other kisses all of the time in public and no one says a word about it. I don't get the sense that this was some inflamed, passionate getting-it-on type kiss, either. It was just somebody being homophobic because they happened to see two women kiss each other, and she called the flight attendant on it, and the flight attendant made a big deal out of it and threw them off.

[FarCenter]

15. After 6 years straight people may kiss in public, but it is rare and perfunctory

[Aerows]

21. And how do you know this wasn't the same exact thing?

Let's not forget the women that were asked to leave a baseball game because of a peck on the lips. This isn't the first time someone had a conniption fit because of a "rare and perfunctory" kiss. I've gotten harassed for holding my lover's hand.

What is "anti-family" about a gesture of affection between people?

[cleanhippie]

24. So you are qualifying what an "appropriate" kiss is and is not?

Who died and made you the boss of what is and is not acceptable?

[FourScore]

11. They should get some money from that lawsuit!!! n/t

[MineralMan]

12. Ah, a lesbian kiss. Those are so different from other types

of kiss, I guess. :sarcasm:

I've kissed my wife on a plane. Nobody threw me off. Bad decision, Southwest, but you've made lots of those lately. I think I'll pass from booking a flight on that airline from now on.

[bullwinkle428]

13. Did one of the crew throw a yellow penalty flag, like in the commercials?

[Nye Bevan]

14. I would not have been offended (nt)

[sammytko]

16. Why are these actors and green day guy flying southwest?

I wouldn't fly sw if I could afford first class on another airline.

[KamaAina]

44. They have a near-monopoly on fights from Northern to Southern California

especially to the smaller airports like San Jose and Orange County.

[Sheepshank]

17. I don't know what kind of kiss is was...but playing devil's advocate here on DU

Doesn't matter to me if it's hetero of homosexual tongue down throat, grabbing, fondling, grunting kisses...it's too sexualized for kids and I do believe that is where the "family friendly" term comes in.

I suppose if this were a mere peck on the lips and the comment "family friendly" were invoked, I'd be pissed.

Fact is, from the article it's hard to say.

[-..__...]

19. That would probaly depend on which set of lips were pecked.

[Aerows]

22. According to Leisha's tweets

It was just a peck on the lips, not a major lip lock. The same thing happened to two women at a baseball game over a peck on the lips. Even holding your lover's hand is enough to rile up some people.

I don't get this assumption that it was this passionate, sexual kiss. You can get harassed even in this day and age for holding someone's hand - it doesn't even have to be something as "anti-family" as a peck on the cheek or heaven forbid, the lips.

She was thrown off the plane because she called the flight attendant on the "anti-family" comment, which she should have. Two people that have been together for 6 years is a family, imho.

[Sheepshank]

26. The article doesn't say how passionate the kissing was.

I absolutely don't question what constitutes a family. What I do question is what activities are approriate display in front of kids (family friendly). There have been pics circulating that are for all nude flights...I wouldn't want my 8 year old there either.

If there was passionate kissing and fondling, I know my 6 year old would have been front and center trying to figure it all out. I just don't think I'm ready for that level of sexual exposure for her. OTOH, we were at Cape Code last month and a lesbian couple right next to us were holding hands, and gave the occassional peck on the lips...meh, no big deal.

For me "family friendly" was not a commentary on what constitutes a family, but what activites may not be appropriate in front of younger kids....be it hetero or homosexual.

[Aerows]

28. That's my point though

I looked into the tweets, and this wasn't some big make out session. This was a flight attendant being homophobic.

It really depends on what part of the country you are in. In a more liberal area, this probably wouldn't have happened, but it appears they were going to El Paso, which isn't exactly a haven of liberalism. I know it's hard to believe if you are straight, but gay people still get harassed over silly things like holding hands or a peck on the cheek. They just happened to stand up for themselves and that's what got them tossed off the plane.

[Aerows]

47. Leisha's statement to the Washington Post and SW airlines

“I didn’t realize a small peck on the lips is regarded as excessive and never once did your stewardess mention other passengers.”

So, she says it was a peck on the lips. That's hardly grounds for throwing someone off the plane for being "anti-family".

[Matariki]

38. The problem with threads like this is that *everyone* makes assumptions

Truth is, we weren't there and don't know what actually happened. All we can do is decide who to believe based on our predispositions. That happens on DU threads all the time. If you point out that it's not possible to actually know, based on the info in a posted article, you get accused of falling on one side or the other.

My own personal disposition is to disbelieve the airline (who says the kissing was 'excessive'). I think they are probably lying to cover their excessive actions. But I also recognize that without actual evidence that it's only my opinion.

[Matariki]

18. Wonder if they were 'making out' or it was just a quick kiss?

I think people making out on a plane, regardless of gender, could be a bit uncomfortable for the people around them.

The article doesn't really say.

[Warren DeMontague]

23. Odd that you never hear about this happening to hetero couples, isn't it?

I mean, but every time a gay couple has this sort of problem, everyone falls all over themselves to ask if they were "making out" or somehow engaging in an excessive display.

As other posters have noted, hetero people kiss each other all the time, and no one freaks out. The same rules should apply for same sex couples.

[Aerows]

25. It's always assumed that it's some passionate making out

Because some heterosexuals don't really understand that what is a normal gesture of affection between a man and a woman is somehow branded as offensive when it's between two same-sex partners. Some don't see it because they can't imagine it happening, but unfortunately, it does.

If people are openly making out, that's one thing, but do you honestly think that is what happened here, between two people that have been together for six years? Frankly, after that amount of time, you've gotten plenty of that LOL.

[Sheepshank]

27. I think you are assuming people here don't realize the difference

between passionate, full on making out and a peck on the cheek, as garnered from the article.

You are coming across a tad judgemental imo.

[Aerows]

29. Oh, I understand people know the difference

The problem, however, is that for some people, such as this flight attendant there IS NO DIFFERENCE. This same kind of thing happened to two women at a baseball game over a peck on the lips, and there were witnesses that said it was harmless.

There are some very homophobic people that freak out over any kind of display of affection - to them, a peck on the lips between two people of the same sex might as well be full-on sex. It's crazy, but it's true.

EDIT: Oh, and if you think I'm coming off as judgmental, well, towards clear homophobia, yes, I am. I've experienced it and even something harmless gets blown out of proportion by some people.

[Sheepshank]

34. I don't know what real info there is about the flight attendant.

I think there are a whole lot of judgements going on the there too.

You 'may' be right in that she may have been homophobic. There's just no real way to tell. Her personal preferences may not be reflected in what she did as an employee. When it comes to a job (jobs that are hard to come by right now), those two issues are often mutually exclusive.

I'm sorry anyone, including you, has to deal with homophobic actions and statements.

[Warren DeMontague]

36. Another example of Blue America meeting Red Merka IMHO.

There's a big chasm between the folks who see same-sex couples out and about every day and the people who are shocked that, upon seeing two men holding hands, Jesus doesn't personally show up to smite them then and there.

I wonder where the flight was coming from, or going.

[Aerows]

39. Exactly

I think it was from El Paso, because on the 24th she tweeted that she and her girlfriend were going to visit them in El Paso. Not exactly a bastion of liberalism.

I'm from the south. Two women holding hands can set off people. Two guys standing too close to each other and smiling too much is an "unacceptable public display of sexuality".

[abq e streeter]

50. This is way off-subject, so my apologies, but had to speak up for,and correct the record re:El Paso

From about.com

While the State of Texas is known to vote Republican, El Paso voters are overwhelmingly Democratic.



Thank you for sharing your experiences and perspectives on the actual issue at hand, and I hope that my little tangent here is not seen as a denigration of the importance of this discussion.

[Matariki]

31. Hey!

I don't know if you were referring to my post, but I did not assume anything. The article doesn't really say what sort of kiss it was - with the exception of a quote from a SW rep saying that their 'investigation' implied that the kissing was 'excessive'. However, I wouldn't draw any conclusions from that 'covering their ass' statement.

[Aerows]

35. That wasn't directed at you :)

That was just a general statement.

[Matariki]

40. Good.

Because I've kissed girlfriends (and boyfriends) in public and know the difference between a loving peck and making out in public ;-)


I appreciate your statement and think you are exactly right about this: "There are some very homophobic people that freak out over any kind of display of affection - to them, a peck on the lips between two people of the same sex might as well be full-on sex. It's crazy, but it's true."

[Aerows]

45. Okay - here's Leisha's statement to the WaPost

“I didn’t realize a small peck on the lips is regarded as excessive and never once did your stewardess mention other passengers.”

A small peck on the lips is what she says it was.

[Matariki]

48. Yep, yep. That, unfortunately, wasn't in the original article.

And it should have been. A good journalist would have done more than just quote Southwest's response. And given Southwest's track record I'm personally more inclined to believe Leisha.

[Sheepshank]

37. I'm trying not to assume anything either.

CYA is often front and center...regardless of the reality lol

[struggle4progress]

32. Here is the airline's statement:

Sep 26 2011

Initial reports indicate that we received several passenger complaints characterizing the behavior as excessive. Our crew, responsible for the comfort of all Customers on board, approached the passengers based solely on behavior and not gender. The conversation escalated to a level that was better resolved on the ground, as opposed to in flight. We regret any circumstance where a passenger does not have a positive experience on Southwest and we are ready to work directly with the passengers involved to offer our heartfelt apologies for falling short of their expectations.

http://www.swamedia.com/releases/9063e4d3-dabc-4ab2-9016-fa4c19895894
http://www.blogsouthwest.com/news/statement-regarding-southwest-airlines-customers-removed-flight-2274
hattip: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/celebrities/index.ssf/2011/09/l_word_star_leisha_hailey_says.html


... No other passengers from the flight have offered a version of the events yet. Southwest .. is the official airline of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) ...
Posted at 10:23 AM ET, 09/27/2011
Leisha Hailey, ‘L Word’ actress, kicked off Southwest flight for kissing girlfriend
By Sarah Anne Hughes
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/leisha-hailey-l-word-actress-kicked-off-southwest-flight-for-kissing-girlfriend/2011/09/27/gIQAlimq1K_blog.html

[Matariki]

33. Well, that could be true or it could be the airline covering it's ass

What with their history of unfairly kicking people off planes - a high profile (actress) indecent might get them scrambling to protect their image (i.e. lie). Impossible to know what actually happened or who to believe.

[Aerows]

46. Leisha is now saying it was a peck on the lips

and that the flight attendant didn't even mention that other people had complained about such an "excessive" display of affection.

[bananas]

20. Bring back Pan Am! nt

[ellenfl]

30. i hope the plane wasn't in flight . . .

sorry, couldn't resist. :eyes:

ellen fl

[justiceischeap]

41. Here's the thing about bigoted straight people

Two pecks on the lips by gays or lesbians would be deemed excessive. Hell, one kiss between the same gender could be considered excessive.

So, for shits and giggles, let's say they pecked twice and there was 3 bigots near them. Those 3 bigots complain about "excessive kissing" by two women. Voila, you have a 'factual' statement from the airline and a lesbian claiming it was 1 peck. I'm going to side with the lesbian, not just because I am one, but because we tend, even in this day and age, not to push the envelope too much for fear of just this thing.

However, not being on the plane and seeing the situation first hand, this is all conjecture. That said, if Leisha Hailey was problem flyer, I think we'd have heard about similar antics before now--particularly when she was more of a household name.

[Aerows]

42. Good point

I think we would have heard about it before now, too. And yes, even in this day and age, most of us don't push the envelope for fear of this. I'm a bit older (late 30's), and while I must say that I've had better experiences than many of my sisters and brothers, there are still some stone cold bigots out there.

[thelordofhell]

43. My congratulations to Leisha Hailey and her girlfriend

For all the money and free flights they will get when they sue the shit out of Southwest Airlines.

[Missy Vixen]

49. I wonder if GLAAD will pull their business

That would be pretty damn painful to Southwest, would it not? How about the rest of us, who would also be happy to participate in that boycott?

:woohoo: