Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has
released a video celebrating LGBT Pride month.
The 45-second video features Ethan
Avanzino, a gay, transgender employee who says that Southwest
celebrates him and “all his uniqueness.”
“Southwest Airlines University is a
place where Employees come to learn and grow,” the airline wrote in
a Facebook post releasing the video. “One Southwest Employee
shares his passion for his work, and the love and respect shared
between him and his Southwest Family.”
Avanzino, a creative producer at the
airline, said in the video that he has grown up with Southwest.
“My mom is also an employee here at
Southwest. We're a SWA family,” Avanzino
said.
“June is special for me, because it
is LGBT Pride month. As a gay, transgender man Pride is incredibly
important to me, because it celebrates who I am.”
“At Southwest we say we're a family.
And I really, truly saw that familial love when I came out and
transitioned, because how I was treated before, and how I'm treated
now, is the exact same,” Avanzino added. “They loved me before
and they love me now.”