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| Ronnie
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Fly The Unfriendly Skies
Just about 2 weeks ago,
Sarah West left for the United Kingdom. Her departure marked the end of a 3-week vacation
on this side of the pond. During that time, she met many of you in
Atlanta at the Southern Comfort Convention, in San Francisco, Cleveland, the desert
Southwest, and Omaha. (Yes, Omaha...Nebraska. It's just west of Chicago. No...That's Des
Moines...Iowa. Omaha is further west.)
While stateside, Sarah flew
from city to city, exclusively as Sarah. While she had boy clothes with her, the plan was
to remain in her femme personae. She, by her account, had a wonderful time here in the
land of the free, with very few problems. And yes, I'm sad to report; those problems
were connected with Omaha.
The plan called for her to
fly out of Omaha on a Monday afternoon, and head back home. Since I couldn't get away from
work, another friend, Barbara, was gracious enough to take her to beautiful Eppley
Airfield. Because Sarah was UK-bound, the staff at United felt obligated to check
her passport. They gave it a double take, because the picture was obviously male, while
the person holding the ticket was apparently female.
As Sarah says, "The
staff checked exactly the same passport at every other airport with no problems - they
also must have been satisfied the passport was mine because they allowed me to board the
plane." Five minutes before take-off, someone had a change of heart. United
personnel ordered her off the plane, retrieved her baggage from the cargo hold, and forced
her to dress more like the passport photo.
If you know Sarah, or have
seen her pictures, it must be pointed out that she is not one to camp up her dressing. She
wears apparel typical for a woman in everyday situations, and that day was no different.
(Barbara has agreed to sign an affidavit to this affect.) Sarah dresses to pass, and I
think she succeeds.
The crew's concerns were
most likely about international security: it's up to them to insure passengers are who
they say they are. I'll grant them that much. But, where they went wrong was in letting
her board, and then pulling her off. Thathad to have been humiliating. The message
that removal sent to the other passengers was wrong.
If the United crew had a
problem with Sarah's appearance, they should have said so before she took her seat.
Instead, removing her from the plane and ordering the wardrobe change told her fellow
passengers that A) she wasn't who she appeared to be, and B) she was doing something
wrong.
It's a natural human
reaction. When the plane is delayed, you ask why. And once you've learned why, you share
that information with other passengers. If those other passengers were predisposed
towards us, or did not have an opinion about transgendered people, they have one now.
Where you start out with
maybe 75 people inconvenienced, multiply that by the people waiting for them. Multiply
that by other planes delayed so other passengers can make their connecting flights. I can
imagine the original passengers arriving at their various destinations and telling loved
ones and co-workers the plane was delayed for an hour because of "some drag
queen". Suddenly the irritation towards the TG community is spreading to thousands.
And all we have to deal with is more ill will towards us as a community.
Sarah, in the meantime, was
forced to wait for a later flight. On the bright side, she didn't have to reboard in guy
mode. That would have been rather awkward. So, what do we do? Indirectly, we
continue what ever it is we do to earn the respect of our fellow human beings.
However, as that won't do anything to calm my angered nerves, I say we protest.
I'm not calling for marches
upon United's headquarters, but instead, something else that is almost as revealing.
We write letters to United, informing them of our disgust with the situation. We
pass these letters around, and have our friends and family members sign them as well. We
tell United that our business with their company is being reconsidered, unless we see
changes.
What kind of changes? First,
we want a written apology to Ms. West. Secondly, more diversity training for United
crewmembers, to let them know that we do spend money on plane tickets, and we are not
perverts, weirdoes, or terrorists. Thirdly, a written policy for crewmembers, and for
passengers, so we know what we can expect if we do fly their airline. If they would
prefer we not fly en femme, fine. Just say so.
Don't be accusatory. Just
state the case. This might have been an isolated incident. You catch more flies with honey
than with vinegar. If you're willing to join this crusade, please keep in mind two
things: An actual letter, (Hard copy. Paper. Remember that stuff?), will probably carry
more weight than an electronic petition. And your legal signature will get more notice
than your pseudonym. It's scary, I know, but I plan to put my John Hancock on
a letter, and if I can do it, so can you.
Note: If you care to put
more precise information in the letter, it is:
Date travelled: 9 Oct 2000
Flight number: UA314 UA928 From
Omaha to Chicago, to London
Heathrow.
Any more information should
be collected from Sarah herself, Or, visit her site.
Send your letters,
questions, tips, checks, anecdotes, old socks, and comments to Ronnie Rho.
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