SouthWest Airlines Responds To Booting 2 Girls for Kissing
A Southwest Airlines crew approached actress-musician Leisha Hailey after other passengers complained that she and her girlfriend's kissing was "excessive," the airline said Monday in a statement, explaining that the crew made the decision to escort the couple off the plane after the discussion "escalated."
Southwest said that its crew had "approached the passengers based solely on behavior and not gender" after receiving "several passenger complaints characterizing the behavior as excessive."
Hailey complained Monday via Twitter that they had been booted from the flight "for being gay," calling for a boycott of the airline and invoking the names of director Kevin Smith and Green Day musician Billie Joe Armstrong, who previously were asked to leave flights because of weight and saggy pants, respectively.
"This is an outrage," Hailey tweeted. "I demand a public apology by @SouthwestAir and a refund. Hate is not a family value. I will never fly this airline. We were escorted off the plane for getting upset about the issue. @SouthwestAir endorses homophobic employees. No one made her accountable."
According to Southwest, "The conversation escalated to a level that was better resolved on the ground, as opposed to in flight."
The airline said it was prepared to "work directly with the passengers involved to offer our heartfelt apologies for falling short of their expectation.
An hour before the airline posted a link to the statement on its Twitter page, Hailey was retweeting a comment calling attention to a page on the Southwest website where the airline had highlighted its "outreach and commitment to the GLBT community." Southwest is the official airline of GLAAD and other similar groups.
[Updated, 6:45 p.m. Sept. 26: GLAAD contacted Southwest on Monday to call for additional actions beyond the airline's statement, to "ensure all customers feel comfortable and welcomed while traveling," Herndon Graddick said in a statement. Graddick is GLAAD's senior director of programs.]
"L-Word" Star
Southwest Airlines Booted Me
... Because I'm Gay!
Actress Leisha Hailey -- who starred in "The L-Word" -- says Southwest Airlineshates gay people ... and claims that's the reason she got kicked off a flight today.
Leisha just unleashed a flurry of tweets to her thousands of followers -- claiming a flight attendant booted Leisha and her GF for kissing on the plane ... because SW is a "family" airline.
Leisha is now demanding a public apology from Southwest -- calling for her fans, and gay people everywhere, to boycott the airline for its "homophobic" policies, writing, "They don't like us."
A rep for Southwest tweeted her back with a quick apology -- asking for Leisha to contact the company privately so they can sort out a solution. So far, no official word from Southwest.
via TMZ
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