Texas mom ‘kicked off’ United Airline flight with toddler for misgendering attendant; 'it’s a hate crime…'

A Texas mom named Jenna Longoria travelling from San Francisco to Austin found herself in a sticky situation on a recent United Airlines flight. According to her account, a simple mistake with pronouns led to her removal from the plane alongside her 16-month-old toddler. The woman alleges the situation escalated quickly, leaving her feeling singled out and humiliated.

Still perplexed about what exactly went so wrong that she was kicked off the plane, she shared the ordeal with her Instagram family of around 20K. The incident, which has gone viral on social media, has reignited discussions about pronoun usage in current times.

Woman removed from flight for using wrong pronoun

"They are now forbidding us from boarding the plane," Jenna shared on her social media, recounting the incident while carrying her toddler. She claimed that one flight attendant denied her access simply because she accidentally used the wrong pronoun for another flight attendant. Jenna later apologised for her slip-up, explaining that she is not very familiar with pronouns and was preoccupied with settling her toddler and managing their carry-on when the incident happened.

Also read: Alton soccer field gone in seconds: Terrifying video captures sinkhole swallowing Illinois pitch

“This is ridiculous,” she claimed. “I can’t even understand what is going on here … I’m not very versed with pronouns, I was holding my son and he was having a temper tantrum, I had the car seat on my back and I wasn’t really focusing on anything except getting my son’s car seat on the flight and getting him comfortable and safe,” Jenna added.

What was the misgendering mishap?

United Airlines informed The Post that Jenna Longoria and her family were denied boarding due to exceeding the carry-on baggage limit, a claim Jenna vehemently disputed as false and took to her Instagram to clarify. In her video, she identified Gabriella, a member of the flight staff, who came to discuss the situation with them. Gabriella mentioned they needed more time to investigate but stated that the captain had already decided to remove them from the flight.

“They’re saying it’s a hate crime that I did and that I might not even be able to ever fly United again,” she alleged in the video.

The incident began when Jenna accidentally misgendered a flight attendant who identifies as a woman while thanking her for handing over their boarding passes. “When [the flight attendant], who identifies as a woman, gave me our boarding passes I said ‘thank you, sir.’ That is it. That is it.”

"She became upset. I proceeded to walk towards the plane and down the aisle. However, she stopped my mother and wouldn’t allow her to accompany me past the gate," stated the passenger, who is believed to have taken an alternate flight after the incident.

Despite managing her crying son and attempting to clarify the misunderstanding, Jenna, her son, and her mother were ultimately not allowed to board, leaving their luggage and medications on the plane when it departed.

Also read: Kate Middleton eyes major London sports event appearance post Trooping the Colour

“I need you to know that because of this verbal altercation that you had with my staff, you got yourself put off this craft,” Gabriella reportedly told Jenna when she pushed for further clarification about the incident. “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 official added.

“Sue sue sue. Unless such absurd requirement to use inane narcissistic words is written in the contract for airfare purchase, then the inconvenienced passenger should sue the airline for a massive amount of money for allowing their staff to impose their indulgences and ideology on customers,” an X user reacted on the video. “It’s about time these people had their pronouns tattooed on their forehead if it’s that important to them that a total stranger is able to call them the correct thing,” another chimed in.