A passenger traveling with her 16-month-old son and mother claims she was “kicked off” her United Airlines flight after misgendering a flight attendant.
Jenna Longoria said she was attempting to board a plane home to Texas from San Francisco International Airport when she addressed the United crew member by the wrong pronoun multiple times.
The women’s health and hormone expert explained that the flight attendant – who identifies as a woman – gave the family their boarding passes.
Longoria said: “I said, ‘Thank you, sir.’ That is it. That is it.”
A passenger traveling with her 16-month-old son and mother claims she was “kicked off” her United Airlines flight after misgendering a flight attendantGetty/ Instagram (@theperiodguru)“She got upset. I walked to the plane to go down the aisle. Then she held my mother back and wouldn’t let her come with me [past the gate],” the mum told The New York Post.
While on board, she spoke to another male flight attendant for help in reaching her mum.
But when referring to the first flight attendant, she used the pronoun “he”.
Longoria said: “He said, ‘He?’ and I said, ‘Yeah.’ He then said, ‘She’s wearing a dress’.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
“My son is in my hand crying, I’m trying to get on the plane. As a mother, my prerogative is to get my son safely on the plane and not what the pronouns that someone goes by.”
The family were refused entry onto the plane which departed with their luggage and medications still onboard.
United said that Longoria and her family were banned from boarding “following a discussion about having too many carry-on items” – something Longoria denies.
In a video posted online, an United official – identified as Gabriella – said: “I need you to know that because of this verbal altercation that you had with my staff, you got yourself put off this craft.”
The family were refused entry onto the plane which departed with their luggage and medications still onboard
Instagram (@theperiodguru)
“I don’t wanna put words in their mouths because I still need statements, but some transgender comments were made, derogatory comments about being a bigot not being on the aircraft. This is what I heard,” the United official said.
Longoria said: “I was in such shock. It was so traumatic.”
The family then bought new tickets for an American Airlines flight back to Austin, which departed three hours later.