Woman kicked off plane for breast-feeding Files complaint saying she was being discreet, airline disagrees The Associated Press Updated: 7:16 p.m. ET Nov 14, 2006
BURLINGTON, Vt. - A woman who claims she was kicked off an airplane because she was breast-feeding her baby has filed a complaint against two airlines, her attorney said.
Emily Gillette, 27, of Santa Fe, N.M., filed the complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission late last week against Delta Air Lines and Freedom Airlines, said her attorney, Elizabeth Boepple. Freedom was operating the Delta flight between Burlington and New York City.
Gillette said she was discreetly breast-feeding her 22-month-old daughter on Oct. 13 as their flight prepared to leave Burlington International Airport. She said she was seated by the window in the next-to-last row, her husband was seated between her and the aisle and no part of her breast was showing.
A flight attendant tried to hand her a blanket and told her to cover up, Gillette said. She declined, telling the flight attendant she had a legal right to breast-feed her baby.
Moments later, a Delta ticket agent approached and said the flight attendant had asked that the family be removed from the flight, Gillette said. She said she didn’t want to make a scene and complied.
“It embarrassed me. That was my first reaction, which is a weird reaction for doing something so good for a child,” Gillette said Monday.
A Freedom spokesman said Gillette was asked to leave the flight after she declined the blanket.
“A breast-feeding mother is perfectly acceptable on an aircraft, providing she is feeding the child in a discreet way,” that doesn’t bother others, said Paul Skellon, spokesman for Phoenix-based Freedom. “She was asked to use a blanket just to provide a little more discretion, she was given a blanket, and she refused to use it, and that’s all I know.”
A complaint against two airlines was filed with the Vermont Human Rights Commission, although Executive Director Robert Appel said he was barred by state law from confirming the complaint. He said state law allows a mother to breast-feed in public.
The Vermont Human Rights Commission investigates complaints and determines whether discrimination may have occurred. The parties to a complaint are given six months to reach a settlement. If none is reached, the commission then decides whether to go to court. A complainant can file a separate suit in state court at any time.
The new look of your live journal is nice but it's very hard to surface. I can't see the whole screen so I have to roll and roll over until I saw everything. Even if there are 2-3 lines I have to roll from side to side.
It seems so weird that they would kick her off the plane for something like breastfeeding. As stated she wasn't in plain view of the rest of the people.It all seems so out of sorts.
This is so stupid and insane I could spit. The US is so fucked up that the thought much less the sight of a breast sends them screaming into the night. Even when it's non-sexual. I hope she bankrupts them.
I looked at those the other day. I played with one, but didn't like the borders on the user icons. I may have to take another run at them when I have a spare chance.
I have a feeling the airline is going to be in for it. Toys R Us recently got slapped around for something like this in NYC. Leave it to Americans to make a woman breastfeeding her baby into something too prurient to be done in public. Good God -- even if some other passenger got a glimpse of her breast, the context is completely innocent. This country drives me crazy sometimes -- it's okay for our kids to be exposed to mind-numbing levels of violence on tv, in the movies etc but a woman can't breastfeed her baby in peace.
That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read. It's on par with the president of OutsidePride.com sending hate e-mails to its customers. Somebody should write up a list of all the ridiculous things companies/corporations do to discriminate and put it on a site somewhere, sort of like the BBB, so we can see what companies not to buy goods from.
Hi, you don't know me, though I've been following your stories for a long time and love them. *is a very lazy commenter* But this pulled me out of lurkerdom.
So if a woman puts her milk in bottles to feed the child on a plane, she has to open all the bottles and sip from them, due to 'security issues'? (see Fahrenheit9/11)
The same would probably happen, if she packed store bought baby food.
If she wants to avoid that hassle and decides to breats feed on the plane, she either has to wrap up like she's in danger of hypothermia or gets kicked off?
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quinn222 at 07:41am on 15/11/2006
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What is it?
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Woman kicked off plane for breast-feeding
Files complaint saying she was being discreet, airline disagrees
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:16 p.m. ET Nov 14, 2006
BURLINGTON, Vt. - A woman who claims she was kicked off an airplane because she was breast-feeding her baby has filed a complaint against two airlines, her attorney said.
Emily Gillette, 27, of Santa Fe, N.M., filed the complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission late last week against Delta Air Lines and Freedom Airlines, said her attorney, Elizabeth Boepple. Freedom was operating the Delta flight between Burlington and New York City.
Gillette said she was discreetly breast-feeding her 22-month-old daughter on Oct. 13 as their flight prepared to leave Burlington International Airport. She said she was seated by the window in the next-to-last row, her husband was seated between her and the aisle and no part of her breast was showing.
A flight attendant tried to hand her a blanket and told her to cover up, Gillette said. She declined, telling the flight attendant she had a legal right to breast-feed her baby.
Moments later, a Delta ticket agent approached and said the flight attendant had asked that the family be removed from the flight, Gillette said. She said she didn’t want to make a scene and complied.
“It embarrassed me. That was my first reaction, which is a weird reaction for doing something so good for a child,” Gillette said Monday.
A Freedom spokesman said Gillette was asked to leave the flight after she declined the blanket.
“A breast-feeding mother is perfectly acceptable on an aircraft, providing she is feeding the child in a discreet way,” that doesn’t bother others, said Paul Skellon, spokesman for Phoenix-based Freedom. “She was asked to use a blanket just to provide a little more discretion, she was given a blanket, and she refused to use it, and that’s all I know.”
A complaint against two airlines was filed with the Vermont Human Rights Commission, although Executive Director Robert Appel said he was barred by state law from confirming the complaint. He said state law allows a mother to breast-feed in public.
The Vermont Human Rights Commission investigates complaints and determines whether discrimination may have occurred. The parties to a complaint are given six months to reach a settlement. If none is reached, the commission then decides whether to go to court. A complainant can file a separate suit in state court at any time.
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And as a side note, your layout is very nice, and it doesn't scroll for me. It sounds like mariana10israel might have her screen set to 800x600..
New look
The new look of your live journal is nice but
it's very hard to surface. I can't see the whole screen so I have to roll and roll over until I
saw everything. Even if there are 2-3 lines I
have to roll from side to side.
Mariana
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Thanks, I got it here: http://community.livejournal.com/thefulcrum/
And have been customizing it. I still have quite a bit that I want to do with it but of course, have no time to do it!
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Like the layout.
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So if a woman puts her milk in bottles to feed the child on a plane, she has to open all the bottles and sip from them, due to 'security issues'? (see Fahrenheit9/11)
The same would probably happen, if she packed store bought baby food.
If she wants to avoid that hassle and decides to breats feed on the plane, she either has to wrap up like she's in danger of hypothermia or gets kicked off?
That's crazy.
Shahar