Lesbian actress booted off Southwest flight for 'excessive' PDA

[BrenDAnn]

Well then, Gravekeeper, you and I will just have to agree to disagree, I suppose. Yes, maybe it was the behavior more than the kiss that got her/them booted, and maybe her statements on Twitter were over-the-top. I'll give you that. However... I think a great majority of people have said/done things when angry that could be classified as what could look like a hissy fit. Perhaps I'm wrong there too, but anger and adrenaline can turn even the best of us into drama queens sometimes.

[Gravekeeper]

I'm wondering at the immediate call of "homophobia" that was raised, here. Just how much of a self-entitled SC do you have to be to be unable to acquiesce to the request of the flight crew to save the spit-swapping session until after the flight when you are no longer their problem and they no longer have to field the complaints over it?

How big of an SC do you have to be to immediately extrapolate that the percieved "homophobia" is somehow company policy because a single employee wasn't instantly held "accountable" ( Fired on the spot I assume. )? -.-

However... I think a great majority of people have said/done things when angry that could be classified as what could look like a hissy fit. Perhaps I'm wrong there too, but anger and adrenaline can turn even the best of us into drama queens sometimes.

You do not throw a shit fit on an airplane. End of story. In this day and age it's beyond stupid. Yes, many people have said/done things when angry. Those people however don't get their stupidity plastered onto the news. She threw a fit, and she wanted everyone else to throw one with her. That goes beyond a momentary lapse because you're in the heat of the moment.

[Nyoibo]

Stating that the majority of a certain profession tend to be homosexual is a hell of a lot different than claiming all Christians are hate mongering homophobes. I suppose stating that most male hairdressers are gay is stereotyping too, right?

Ok, am I the only one whose hairdressers and stewards have been straight?


As to the main topic, some details would be useful to form a better opinion, however I would say that her reaction was most likely out of order, when you're in a privately owned place you don't have the same rights, if you're asked to stop doing something you stop doing it, whether you agree with or like it or not is beside the point.

[BrenDAnn]

Alright, well, I guess I'm done here. You all have great points and I'm just going to gracefully bow out of the conversation. Honestly, after reading this thread, I don't even know what to think of the situation anymore. One one hand, I want to defend Leisha/UHH but on the other...shit...you guys have good points okay? I'm out.

[HYHYBT]

To me, it would depend on two things: first, whether the complaints of the other passengers (no matter how vehement or numerous) were valid*, and second, how much fuss she actually made before it was decided to put her off the plane.

And they're related: if you're doing nothing wrong, then it is UNreasonable to demand you to stop. And it is reasonable to object to unreasonable demands when they are given. Depending, again, on how you go about it and how far you try to carry things. That doesn't mean that it is allowed (I don't know, and there's surely a lot of subjectivity involved anyway) but whether they can do it or not (and I know they can) and whether they will do it or not (ditto) and whether that's what happened in this case or not (I have no idea), it is wrong when it happens.

*If not, then the complainers should be made to shut up or leave for causing trouble, while those they were unreasonably complaining about should stay.

[Peppergirl]

You do not throw a shit fit on an airplane. End of story. In this day and age it's beyond stupid. Yes, many people have said/done things when angry. Those people however don't get their stupidity plastered onto the news. She threw a fit, and she wanted everyone else to throw one with her. That goes beyond a momentary lapse because you're in the heat of the moment.

Indeed. The entire incident would not have gotten NEARLY the amount of hoopla and publicity if she hadn't gone on twitter, throwing accusations.

Ok, am I the only one whose hairdressers and stewards have been straight?

Please see my post underneath that where I admitted that my personal experiences were causing me to have this opinion. I should have phrased it differently and have corrected myself. I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong. It's something not often seen around here.

[Gravekeeper]

And they're related: if you're doing nothing wrong, then it is UNreasonable to demand you to stop. And it is reasonable to object to unreasonable demands when they are given.

This is a customer service employee, I doubt it was a demand so much as a "Can you please stop? You're making other passengers uncomfortable". As for her reaction, Southwest tactfully used the word "Escalated". >.>

Now she says it was a "Small peck on the lips". Southwest, meanwhile, has used the term "embracing".

The biggest thing sinking her here is that she's claming its because she was gay, and not because she through a fit ( despite having admitted the fit was exactly what got her thrown off ).

[Canarr]

Difficult to say. It's conceivable that some other passengers might have objected more strongly to a Lesbian couple kissing than they would have to a straight couple doing the same, and thus have complained at a less excessive state than they would have tolerated otherwise. So, yeah: maybe there was a homophobic undertone to the complaints.

But the flight attendant, whose job it is to respond to passenger complaints, is not to blame there. Provided she didn't ask them to stop in a rude or unprofessional manner (and there's no indication she did, not even from the "wounded" party), it would have been prudent to follow her request and not argue with her. She's just there doing her job, getting in her face over that will not help anyone's cause.

There's a time and a place to combat bigotry and homophobia, but someone else's airplane is not it.

[Nyoibo]

Difficult to say. It's conceivable that some other passengers might have objected more strongly to a Lesbian couple kissing than they would have to a straight couple doing the same, and thus have complained at a less excessive state than they would have tolerated otherwise. So, yeah: maybe there was a homophobic undertone to the complaints.

Of this unfortunately I have no doubt.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Reminds me of the woman who complained after she and her autistic son were thrown off a plane, after he was rolling in the aisle and refused to sit down and be belted up. Never mind the whole safety aspect; in this actress's case, having a bitch fit on the plane, the reason she was thrown off has GOT to be cuz the plane attendant is a homophobe!

[fireheart17]

Ok, am I the only one whose hairdressers and stewards have been straight?

You can be flamboyant and be straight.


The vibe I picked up from the article down here was that "excessive" is in the eye of the beholder. If it was a hetero couple, would they have done the same thing?

I do agree though, you do not throw a shit fit on a plane period.

[blas87]

I'm with Pepper's original rant......no matter who is doing it, excessive PDA is inappropriate.

Of course, I am a pitchfork toting, blood crying, rage porn monster of a conservative, but I would think any person with half a brain and a tad of common sense would think better than to full on make out or grope or get that close on an airplane. Hell, even at a store.

[IDrinkaRum]

You know, I was reprimanded by a bar employee because of "excessive" PDA at a local restaurant. What were we doing you might ask?

Well, we did kiss. On the lips, nothing more. But more than that ... We had our heads down, sides of foreheads (and the tops of our heads) touching, and we were giggling up a storm. From behind us, there was a group of guys who were complaining that we were being excessive and we "needed to get a room". (BTW, I was with a guy - not a woman). At one point, someone threw a napkin at the back of my head.

Bar employee came over and was apologetic about the whole thing. Asked us to stop whatever it was we were doing, and guess what? WE DID. End of story.

Though I think their main objection was that there weren't any ladies with them. But that's my own opinion.

[DrFaroohk]

I have to wonder...do they ask EVERY couple who is showing equal amounts of PDA to stop? If not, this is bullshit. Then we move on that since it's bullshit, it never should've been brought up in the first place. If it had never been brought up there would be no hissy fit.

[Gravekeeper]

Still waiting on the video she said she took of her conversation with the flight attendant. -.-

Meanwhile, the rage porn headline she triggered is still propogating around making it look like she was pitched off for being gay and gay alone. And yes, by all accounts, if they were hetero they'd have been asked to stop too.

As far as the scenario goes, its still...

On One Side:

1) Several people complained ( Highly doubtful if it was just a "small peck" like she claims. Several people wouldn't even have noticed that )
2) Flight attendant had to do something, because people are complaining to her.
3) Pretty sure flight attendant was mortified having to ask them to stop so was probably as polite as possible.


On The Other:

1) Immediately and publically accused all involved of homophobia and entire corporation of endorsing homophobia.
2) Threw a fit big enough to get her thrown off the plane
3) Took to Twitter to organize a boycott of the entire company based on the actions of a single employee who was forced to act because of multiple complaints.
4) Twisted what South West said to fit the context of her narrative.


One of these sides seems reasonable, the other does not.