Southwest Boots Actress From Plane After Gay Kiss

Passengers griped about Leisha Hailey's 'excessive' behavior, says airline
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 27, 2011 2:56 AM CDT
Southwest Boots L Word Star After Gal Pal Kiss
Leisha Hailey of 'The L Word' attends the CBS & Showtime portion of the 2009 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour in Los Angeles in 2009.   (Getty Images)

The L Word star Leisha Hailey is furious at Southwest Airlines after she and a female companion were booted from a plane after a flight attendant told them to stop kissing. The actress was told that Southwest "was a 'family' airline and kissing was not OK," tweeted Hailey, 40, who was ejected "for getting upset about the issue." Southwest "endorses homophobic employees," she tweeted. "Since when is showing affection toward someone you love illegal? I want to know what Southwest considers a 'family.'"

An airline statement said several passengers complained that the girlfriends' behavior was "excessive," reports Reuters. "Our crew, responsible for the comfort of all customers on board, approached the passengers based solely on behavior and not gender," the statement said. "The conversation escalated to a level that was better resolved on the ground, as opposed to in flight." Hailey is calling for a boycott. "Boycott Southwest if you are gay," she tweeted. "They don't like us." (More Leisha Hailey stories.)

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