Leisha Hailey, the American actress who starred in the award winning 'L-Word', claims she was escorted off a Southwest Airlines flight on Monday (26th September 2011) for kissing her girlfriend, reports the Associated Press.
Hailey, who was told by a flight attendant that passengers had complained about her behaviour, immediately took to Twitter and called for a boycott of the airline. She told followers, "I have been discriminated against.Since when is showing affection to someone you love illegal?", later adding, "Flt. attendant said that it was a family airline and kissing was not ok." Southwest Airlines have since responded on its website, claiming Hailey was approached "based solely on behaviour and not gender", suggesting some passengers had characterised her actions as excessive. The actress began life as a musician, before joining the cast of the award winning Showtime drama about the lives of lesbian friends living in Los Angeles. Leisha and her girlfriend were travelling on a flight from Baltimore to St Loius at the time of the incident. After the couple began kissing, a "discussion followed" and the airline said it "escalated to a level that was better resolved on the ground".
Last year, Southwest Airlines removed film director Kevin Smith from a flight because he didn't fit properly in a single seat. He also took to Twitter to vent his anger at the decision. Recently, Greenday singer Billie Joe Armstrong claimed he was thrown off a Southwest flight because his "pants sagged too low".