Actress-musician Leisha Hailey claims
Southwest Airlines booted her off a plane because she's gay.
On Monday, the 40-year-old Hailey
tweeted to her nearly 17,000 followers to boycott the airline.
“I have been discriminated against by
@SouthwestAir. Flt. attendant said that it was a 'family' airline
and kissing not ok.”
“This is an outrage. I demand a
public apology by @SouthwestAir and a refund. Hate is not a family
value. I will never fly this airline.”
“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,” she added moments later
In previous posts, Hailey said she and
her girlfriend Camila Grey were visiting Grey's parents in El Paso,
Texas.
Hailey, who came out gay at 17, is best
known for playing Alice Pieszecki on Showtime's groundbreaking
lesbian drama The L Word. Hailey and Grey form the band Uh
Huh Her.
In a statement, the airline explained
that “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 not gender. The conversation escalated to a level
that was better resolved on the ground, as opposed to in flight.”
The airline added: “We are ready to
work directly with the passengers involved to offer our heartfelt
apologies for falling short of their expectation.”