A woman claimed that she was thrown off a United Airlines flight after misgendering a flight attendant. The issue occurred while she was traveling from San Francisco, California, to Austin, Texas, with her mother and her 16-month-old son.
“The flight attendant has denied access to us because he said that I made a derogatory comment about one of the flight attendants because I didn’t use their right pronoun,” the passenger, Jenna Longoria, said in a video posted on her Instagram stories.
“Now, they are forbidding us to get on the plane.”
Jenna Longoria claims she was denied access to a United Airlines flight because she misgendered a flight attendant
Image credits: theperiodguru
In a separate video, Longoria gave an account of how she was removed from the flight following a remark she allegedly made to a worker who identified as a woman.
“I will tell you what happened right now,” the Texas woman said. “I was speaking to one of the flight attendants and got their pronouns wrong. The other flight attendant didn’t like it. I said, ‘I’m really sorry, they. I’m not very versed with pronouns.'”
Another clip shows Longoria questioning United Airlines employee Gabriella Chidom, who informs her that she was removed from the flight for “what came out of her mouth.”
The worker said it was the captain’s decision to stop her from boarding, adding, “When the captain denies you, it’s the end of the story.”
“The other flight attendant didn’t like it. I said, ‘I’m really sorry, they. I’m not very versed with pronouns,'” explained the Texas resident
The airline has denied Longoria’s claims, stating that the issue was related to the passengers’ luggage.
“A party of three traveling out of San Francisco today was not allowed to board following a discussion about having too many carry-on items,” the company’s statement read, as per People Magazine.
“The matter was resolved, and the customers took a later United flight to finish their trip.”
She said she “[doesn’t] have an agenda” and the “trans thing is not on [her] radar”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by JENNA LONGORIA ,FDNP PERIOD & HORMONE EXPERT (@theperiodguru)
The Texas resident did not disclose how many carry-ons her party had with them.
According to the airline’s website, passengers “can bring one carry-on bag and one personal item for free on most domestic and international flights” as long as they meet the size limits.
The mother-of-one said the airline provided her with a later flight when she shared the story on social media.
A video shows Longoria speaking with United Airlines employee Gabriella Chidom, who informed her that she was removed from the flight for “what came out of [her] mouth”
Image credits: theperiodguru
“I don’t have an agenda…the ‘trans thing’ is not on my radar. I’m just a mother trying to get from point A to point B with my baby and elderly mother,” she told the DailyMail.
She added that United Airlines’ statement “makes no sense” and accused the company of providing a different version of events because they knew what they did was “unjust.”
The airline denied Longoria’s claims, stating that she wasn’t allowed to board the flight because she had too many carry-on items
Misgendering occurs when you intentionally or unintentionally refer to a person, relate to a person, or use language to describe a person that doesn’t align with their gender, as per Healthline. For instance, referring to a woman as “he” or calling her a “guy” is an act of misgendering.
According to a 2014 study published in the journal Self and Identity, 32.8% of transgender respondents reported feeling very stigmatized when misgendered.
Those who were misgendered more frequently experienced lower self-esteem around their appearance. They also reported having a reduced sense of strength and continuity in their identity.
People shared their thoughts regarding Longoria’s case
