A woman claims she was trying to board a United Airlines flight with her young son and her mother when she accidentally misgendered a flight attendant, resulting in her being barred from the flight. Jenna Longoria of Austin, Texas, was returning from San Francisco International Airport on June 26, 2024, when she allegedly used male pronouns for a flight attendant who uses female pronouns.
This caused quite a stir on the flight, ultimately leaving Longoria and her mom and son grounded at the airport.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, @theperiodguru, claimed she was wrongfully barred from flying, but as her story began to unfold, some people thought she might not be divulging all the details. Now, Longoria wants an apology and an explanation.
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The mom said it was all a misunderstanding.
Although she removed the video from her official Instagram, plenty of people on social media took screen grabs and posted them, including a TikTok user who posts under the handle @independentreporter9495. In the video, Longoria says her family was removed from their flight because she unknowingly misgendered a flight attendant.
The angry mother told the New York Post, "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."
Longoria continued, "She got upset. I walked to the plane to go down the aisle. Then she held my mother back and wouldn't let her come with me [past the gate]."
The confusion apparently continued onboard.
Longoria told the NY Post she had an interaction with a second flight attendant during which she again misidentified the first person.
"He said, 'He?' and I said, 'Yeah.' He then said, 'She's wearing a dress.'"
The mom explained, "My son is in my hand crying; I'm trying to get on the plane," she recalled. "As a mother, my prerogative is to get my son safely on the plane and not what the pronouns that someone goes by."
Longoria and her family were allegedly told to leave.
In a second video, Longoria claims the airline threated to bar her from flying United permanently, and she was left stranded in San Francisco. She admitted she's not very "versed" in pronouns but was more concerned about her son's well-being on the flight.
While she apologized, Longoria said she was unaware of her rights or what she should do. The family was also reportedly not allowed access to their luggage onboard the flight, which included essential medications.
The family wound up taking another flight home.
Longoria told the NY Post she and her mother and son took an American Airlines flight home. She said she was not compensated for the additional airline tickets and had heard nothing from United Airlines about the alleged incident.
The whole thing made her uneasy. "I was in such shock. It was so traumatic," she added.
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The story left social media users confused.
Many felt that Longoria's story had more to it. Comments on @independentreporter9495's video asked for more details.
Someone joked, "I'll take things that didn't happen for $200 Alex."
Plenty agreed.
"What's the full story cause this ain't it," someone declared.
"Listen to y'all screaming to boycott United just over Jenna Longoria's 20-second side of the story," someone else wrote.
Others felt for the mom.
One person commented: "Goodbye, United Airlines!!! Get a lawyer as soon as possible! This was totally uncalled for, and I'm so sick of this BS!!"
There's seemingly been no official word from United Airlines about the alleged incident.
