Gay hate or gray area?
Unfriendly skies: Lesbian kiss earns L Word actress a lecture from "family"airline Southwest
Who knew your travel plans may never take flight on account of smooching your sweetheart?
Certainly not Leisha Hailey. The L Word actress and Uh Huh Her musician was kissing her latest lover, fellow band mate Camila Grey, on a Southwest Airlines flight — when the amorous pair was abruptly asked to deplane. (Hailey was not, in fact, kissing quirky fashion boutique owner and former girlfriend Nina Garduno, as erroneously reported by many news outlets.)
Oh, right, Hailey's a lesbian, too. And Grey, with whom she was sharing the controversial kiss in question, is a woman (who'd always been tight-lipped about her sexuality — and her relationship with Hailey — prior to this incident). Does the fact this was a same-sex couple kissing make a difference?
Hailey certainly thought that might have something to do with it, and took to Twitter to express her shock and outrage at the airline. Hailey unleashed a series of tweets from her personal account:
Flight attendant said that it was a 'family' airline and kissing was not okay. This is an outrage. I demand a public apology by @Southwest Air and a refund. Hate is not a family value. I will never fly this airline again. We were escorted off the plane for getting upset about the issue. @SouthwestAir endorses homophobic employees. No one made her accountable. Since when is showing affection towards someone you love illegal? I want to know what Southwest Airlines considers a 'family.' I know plenty of wonderful same-sex families I would like to introduce them to. Boycott @SouthwestAIr if you are gay. They don’t like us.
Sure, your initial reaction is to cringe in horror and shake your head at Southwest. Mine was, too.
But that pesky little voice of reason reminds you that are three sides to this story: Hailey's, Southwest's, and the truth.
Of course, Southwest fired back with its (incredibly brief) version of the day's events.
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.
There are so many questions to be asked in this situation, we don't even know where to begin. But the answer to the most glaring one of them all — would it have happened if the allegedly grope-happy couple (Hailey says it was a "modest kiss" in a statement) had consisted of a man and a woman? — is anyone's guess.
And now for that pesky third side of that story: The truth. Do you believe Southwest discriminated against Hailey? Will you boycott the low-cost airline? Let's hear from you in the comments.
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