Rainbow flag pin next to FA’s flying wing. - FlyerTalk Forums (2024)

ninerfan

Join Date: Dec 2003

Location: Auburn, GA

Programs: Bowling Team Capt.

Posts: 598

"In my last domestic flight in F out of SFO, I noticed one of the FA has a rainbow flag on his chest. "

Who Cares?

SirFlysALot

Join Date: Jun 2005

Location: Land of ORD

Programs: AA Plat UA Premier

Posts: 9,181

Very unfortunately. And thats why there is a no symbol rule. I admit it would be hard to be for breast cancer or a lot of other things. Most of us can agree that these are good causes.

But it is somewhat inappropriate in a place of business. There are places to make your views known and work is not one of them.

mlbcard

Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: ORD, MKE

Programs: UA, AA, Hilton and regular member of everything else

Posts: 1,336

Thank you! The last thing this country needs is another cultural divide... this time between the pro-rainbow-pin people and the pro-all-FAs-should-look-the-same people (find some space on your bumper for yet another sticker).

NWA_5479

Join Date: Dec 2003

Location: St. Paul, MN

Programs: I've gone dormant. For now.

Posts: 1,480

You mean white people should dye their skin, right? If this was OMNI, and I had a lot of time, I could really open another discussion here...

MFLetou

Join Date: May 2004

Location: VA

Programs: Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver, Hertz #1 Gold, Avis Preferred

Posts: 709

But that commitment has NOTHING to do with being a flight attendant on United Airlines. Absolutely nothing. I'm still not understand why its neccessary to wear it. Why would an F/A want to? The answer I've gotten so far is that it identifies themselves to other gay passengers, who feel more comfortable and 'can ONLY' have their needs met by a gay flight attendant.

I find that explanation unacceptable.

Droneklax

Join Date: Jan 2000

Location: The Internets

Posts: 8,266

Totally inappropriate.

If it ain't part of the uniform, it ain't going there.

As a customer, I don't want to see gay pins, straight pins, jesus pins, buddha pins, democrat pins, republican pins, younameit pins. Leave that at home.

As an employee, you don't have freedom of expression on company time.

BambooTom

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: Los Angeles

Programs: Star Alliance

Posts: 143

Hmm I thought we already covered Micheal Jackson.

TeaAddict

Join Date: Sep 2004

Location: Seattle

Posts: 259

First of all, I thought it was very clear from the way it was written that the bit about the gay FAs knowing best how to tend to gay passengers was, you know, a joke. As in, not meant to be taken seriously.

Secondly, while I wouldn't necessarily have an issue w/ a no pins, no jewelry, etc., policy (assuming it really did bar everything, including wedding rings), the fact is that humans like to show off a little individuality. Check out any uniform-wearing situation, from a Catholic school to the military to a fast-food joint: People find ways to make the uniform their own w/in the confines of what's allowed -- there's usually more leeway for Catholic schoolgirls than for soldiers, but people still find ways. A tiny little pin on a uniform seems pretty damn harmless and a good way to boost morale, whether it's the religious person who wants to wear a symbol of their faith, a sports fanatic who wants to indicate that the Red Sox rule or a gay-friendly (wearing the rainbow flag does NOT mean you're gay, as someone said, anymore than wearing a pink ribbon means you have breast cancer) person wanting to indicate that they think all people should be accepted equally.

hurlimann

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: Zurich

Programs: LH Sen; US Silver; AA Silver; Hilton Gold

Posts: 105

All excellently said, TeaAddict, but specifically above: hairstyles, jewelry, makeup, facial hair- most uniform-situation policies allow variation in all of these facets of individuality, within their admittedly hard-to-define bounds of tastefullness.

Next time you fly, check out the FA's more closely, those of you who believe that everyone should look exactly the same and not be allowed to express their character or uniqueness. They are all very different- you can tell a whole lot about them by how they accessorize their uniform.

Personally I find it incredible that anyone in a forum of allegedly frequent fliers, who supposedly have travelled the world and experienced its immense and wonderful diversity, would, in this day and age, have the slightest, infinitesimal, noticeable adverse reaction to a rainbow pin.

NWA_5479

Join Date: Dec 2003

Location: St. Paul, MN

Programs: I've gone dormant. For now.

Posts: 1,480

[Thumbsup!]

(For some reason, this computer is not letting me select Smilies?!?)

Latitudes

Join Date: Jul 2002

Posts: 1,502

IIRC, those flag pins that cabin crew wear signify one thing and one thing only: they speak the language identified by the flag.

Just because someone wears a German flag does not mean that they are German, only that they speak German. Maybe the crew member wearing the rainbow flag was straight and could speak Gay?!?

Mats

Join Date: Sep 2001

Location: Arizona, USA

Posts: 2,407

Oh thank goodness they're putting gay speakers back on each flight! It was so hard for many gay passengers without an interpreter.

Are the gay interpreters going to be flying all routes, or just routes to gay destinations?

rhwbullhead

Join Date: Oct 2004

Location: Greater Chicagoland Area

Programs: frontier Elite, Hertz PC

Posts: 1,459

That's a good point. I briefly dated a girl in college that had a rainbow pin on her backpack. When I first saw it, I thought she was gay, but I later asked about the pin and found out she wasn't. Her explanation for having the pin was that she had some gay friends and was supportive of the gay community.

My thoughts on the pin subject is that the pins don't bother me at all. I do agree with the people who call for an all-or-nothing policy. Either ban all pins, or allow them all, though I think a crew member wearing a swastika probably wouldn't be good for the company image.

djjaguar64

Join Date: Oct 2001

Location: YYZ

Programs: A3&O6 Gold,IC AMB & HH Diamond

Posts: 14,136

Nobbi

Join Date: Jun 2000

Location: Pismo Beach, CA

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Posts: 1,544

Oh, hurlimann,

you don't have access to OMNI yet (where this thread should be). Sadly, this board has quite a number of vociferous anti-rainbow members.