You know, I’ve gotta be honest, I’m kind of speechless…
In this post:
United fires flight attendant following jump seat talk
A former United Airlines flight attendant named Ruben Sanchez is fighting to get his job back, after he was fired. The 52-year-old had worked at the airline for 28 years, though his career quickly came crashing down, when the company started investigating him.
This whole situation came to light after a redeye flight on May 31, 2023, from Los Angeles (LAX) to Cleveland (CLE). He had been assigned the flight last minute, and in order to try and stay awake while exhausted, he engaged in what he describes as an innocent conversation with another flight attendant, who shared his Catholic faith.
Since it was May 31, Pride month was starting the following day, and Sanchez claims to have remarked how Pride month is “a big deal at United,” and how the airline “has all these things about Pride, with the Pride flags everywhere,” and has “drag-queen DJs.” Here’s what Sanchez went on to say, according to him:
“You know, as Catholics, we’re not really supposed to be observing Pride. The church will never believe that men give birth, women have penises or that the church should bless same-sex marriages because marriage is a sacrament, and it’s not meant for two men or two women or three people or whatever.”
Let me emphasize that this is his own version of the “innocent conversation” he was having, which seems wildly inappropriate as a discussion while on the job and in front of customers.
An unidentified passenger reportedly overheard the conversation, and then complained to the airline on Twitter/X. According to Sanchez, the person who complained accused him of saying “I hate all black people,” and “I am proudly anti-trans,” which he denies.
Initially Sanchez was suspended with pay, as the company investigated the accusations. However, at this point the company reviewed his long post history on Twitter/X, which revealed that Sanchez had posted a variety of controversial things to his account, while also obviously identifying himself as a United flight attendant, with photos of him in uniform.
Airlines of course all have employee social media policies, regarding what they’re allowed to post. Admittedly there’s a bit of a grey area, but the issue here is that he was identifying as a United flight attendant while also having quite the controversial online presence.
United took issue with this, and at that point Sanchez was fired. The union refused to help fight to get his job back. Sanchez has now set up a GoFundMe, with a campaign to “Help Defend Faith and Livelihood from Woke Employer & Union.”
This flight attendant is also openly gay
Perhaps the most interesting twist to all of this is that Sanchez is actually openly gay, though it seems he’s considering going back in the closet.
Look, I’m not trying to get too political, and I understand there are gay conservatives out there. But most gay conservatives I’ve heard from identify that way because they like some/most Republican policies, and believe (rightly or wrongly) that the party doesn’t oppose their rights.
Sanchez, on the other hand, is openly against gay marriage, saying it’s not meant for two men or two women. It’s a little odd for him to argue that “as Catholics, we’re not really supposed to be observing Pride.” Dude, as a Catholic, you’re also not supposed to be gay, if you’re one of those people who interprets things very literally.
But it seems like Sanchez might be dealing with a bit of an internal struggle as well. Just this year, he’s posting stuff like this online:
“I came ‘out’ as gay & put my faith in the closet. Maybe now I should live my faith ‘out’ and put my sexual proclivities in the ‘closet’.”
If you think being gay is a “sexual proclivity” that you should put back in the “closet,” then, well… oy. I don’t fully know what his posting history is, but just looking at his recent posts, I can certainly see how they could be interpreted as offensive.
Yep, I love showing off our hot “normal gays”, like… Aaron Schock, who spent the early part of his career as a Republican congressman voting against gay rights, prior to sort of coming out, and now seemingly spending half his time at raves. Yes, keep espousing those good Catholic values, and recognizing the “good” gays!
Anyway, I hope that Sanchez gets the help he needs, either through therapy or prayer or whatever. Honestly, I respect peoples’ rights to their sincerely held beliefs, but if you identify as gay and view your gayness as a “proclivity” that you can just stick back in the closet, well, then, those are some interesting mental gymnastics.
Bottom line
A former United Airlines flight attendant was fired following an investigation that started after a May 2023 flight. The (gay) Catholic flight attendant was apparently talking about his dislike of Pride month, and about who should have penises, and about how same-sex marriage is evil.
A passenger complained, and United then started investigating. The flight attendant ended up being fired, but he’s now trying to get his job back, as he’s angry about the religious discrimination he faced. He’s also considering putting his gayness back in the closet.
The biggest takeaways here are simple. Number one, don’t discuss religion or politics at work, especially in front of customers. Number two, if you’re going to be controversial online, don’t tie the account to one that identifies your employer, especially if they have a policy on social media use.
The main guilty party here is the Catholic Church for screwing this guy's head up so badly.
I suppose I should know from the uniforms, which guy in the photo is the subject of the post.
You know, people can make mistakes and have their believe.
I think its too much to fire a person after working for 28 years.
Where is the gratitude?,
What happen to tolerance and understanding?
Can they talk to him and issue a warning and ask Him to be more responsible in social media?
I have the impression that airline management sometimes look for any excuse to destroys the life and...
You know, people can make mistakes and have their believe.
I think its too much to fire a person after working for 28 years.
Where is the gratitude?,
What happen to tolerance and understanding?
Can they talk to him and issue a warning and ask Him to be more responsible in social media?
I have the impression that airline management sometimes look for any excuse to destroys the life and future benefits of there employees instead of looking for a constructive relationship.
What if He was the Pilot about to retiree??
I hope people in a position of power have more wisdom in their decisions.
I was under the impression that this site wanted to get away from these kinds of discussions.
To change the subject - Booked on an AC star alliance business class flight to BKK via MCT on Oman Air and cannot do seat selection on line or by phone unlike other airlines in the itinerary. Ben, any tricks? Need an overnight in MCT. Did WY offer anything on your last flight?
are you kidding?
There are about 8 stories on the first screen of OMAAT stories that COMBINED have less than 2/3 of the replies as this story. At least three of them have ZERO replies.
You might not want to to talk about weird stuff but plenty of people do.
That's why Ben wrote it.
Politics and religion included, even though Ben says he isn't going there - but did.
Somewhere between this and the Cairo Airport is sanity. I am going there.
It's limitless for what you can start a Gofundme for nowadays. 12k raised? Haha, quit your job and pander for money online.
Obviously a guy who knows no boundaries, with opinions all over the place.
No-one on board, colleagues included, is even faintly interested in what he thinks. He's there to provide service to passengers, thsts all.
UA was right to fire him; pity it took them so long to suss out what he was like.
The doxxing and posting of personal photos is *wildly* over the line, Ben.
@ Aisha Muhammed — To be clear, he was just featured in the New York Post and was even interviewed for the story and wanted it to be made public. I’m by no means doxxing him.
Digging up old social posts and editorializing is ... a choice.
Hear me out, Ben:
You yourself have written about some pretty interesting, shall we say, things that have happened during your flying. I remember a distinct use of a hashtag referring to adult acts between gay men, too.
Now splice that with posts from years later about your (adorable!) child and editorialize for a bad-faith audience. Surely, you can see where I'm...
Digging up old social posts and editorializing is ... a choice.
Hear me out, Ben:
You yourself have written about some pretty interesting, shall we say, things that have happened during your flying. I remember a distinct use of a hashtag referring to adult acts between gay men, too.
Now splice that with posts from years later about your (adorable!) child and editorialize for a bad-faith audience. Surely, you can see where I'm going with this (no really, I know you can).
What I'm saying is: you're kicking someone lying down while adding fuel to the fire ... for which purpose? So there's some drama to talk about over dinner tonight?
The added racist dogwhistle in the title is doing you absolutely no favors, either. Be better.
@ Aisha Muhammed — I see where you’re coming from, and I know you’re making a good faith argument. But these aren’t isolated posts. I’m not digging up stuff from a decade ago. This is the kind of stuff he’s posting all day every day, now more than ever. He’s not “lying down,” he’s continuing to double down. I could have just as easily included posts from him from this week.
And sorry, but “racist dogwhistle?”
Fair, Ben, and thanks for responding in good faith.
I guess for me it's just ... what do you want from him? He's already fired. He probably has some of the most vile people threatening him with violence (which they do sometimes follow up on) right now
So what is it? Must he be fired *and* agree with what I presume is your personal view, or? When is enough ... enough?
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The dogwhistle...
Fair, Ben, and thanks for responding in good faith.
I guess for me it's just ... what do you want from him? He's already fired. He probably has some of the most vile people threatening him with violence (which they do sometimes follow up on) right now
So what is it? Must he be fired *and* agree with what I presume is your personal view, or? When is enough ... enough?
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The dogwhistle is the Ay Caramba. That's pretty standard right-wing dogwhistling directed at people with Hispanic names.
There's no shortage of examples of controversy generated by this (and "caramba" refers to male genitals, which isn't example appropriate in this particular situation, either).
Before anyone comes for me in the commetns: if you're having to parse out the level of your racism, you've already crossed the line.
Aisha, stop trying to manufacture controversy. "Ay, caramba" has been used for decades without any meaning behind it. For example, it's one of Bart's catchphrases dating all the way back to 1988. https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/%C2%A1Ay,_caramba!
In fact, you're the *only* one claiming this; if you Google `ay caramba dogwhistle` this OMAAT article is one of the top links! Ay, caramba!
Just another self-loathing gay Catholic. Next!
Reuben. Call me big daddy.
Gay flight attendants give good service. Gay people are good tippers and many are rich. lol. And fun people. Ok. Party time.
I’ve worked with this person and he is less than pleasant! He wanted someone kicked off the plane because they were wearing ripped jeans which he felt were provocative and revealing…mind you this was a gay man that was wearing ripped jeans. He tried rallying the entire crew together to get him kicked off but all of us said it wasn’t a big deal.
I'll take things that never happened for 500, Alex.
Thanks for trolling, Aisha.
With 28 employees flying 3 times a week business class I don't need to fly United any more.
Because United fired him or because he said what he said? I am confused on why you will not fly United again.
If United has a policy about identifying your employer and posting controversial things, that should be what got him here. But is it clearly spelled out? And which opinions get your fired? What is offensive is highly subjective. What if his posts were aggressively trolling pro-life people, and he was advocating for abortion rights in the uniform. That's offensive to a large portion of Americans. Does that get him fired? What if he takes an...
If United has a policy about identifying your employer and posting controversial things, that should be what got him here. But is it clearly spelled out? And which opinions get your fired? What is offensive is highly subjective. What if his posts were aggressively trolling pro-life people, and he was advocating for abortion rights in the uniform. That's offensive to a large portion of Americans. Does that get him fired? What if he takes an aggressive stance for or against any moral/ideological issue? Why are opinions on sexuality always the third rail?
And I have to wonder what if he was Muslim rather than Catholic?
Finally, I know several gay people who, irrespective of religion, don't believe in gay marriage.
Too many 'what ifs?' Dave.
" The church will never believe that men give birth, women have penises "...
not only the church, but doctors, scientists, anyone with a brain. This is simply a fact. And if you disagree with it, no one can help you.
100% yes to marriage (note I did not say gay marriage... two people getting married when both of the same sex is simply marriage!)
100% yes to protecting all rights.
100%...
" The church will never believe that men give birth, women have penises "...
not only the church, but doctors, scientists, anyone with a brain. This is simply a fact. And if you disagree with it, no one can help you.
100% yes to marriage (note I did not say gay marriage... two people getting married when both of the same sex is simply marriage!)
100% yes to protecting all rights.
100% NO to all the homophobic, racist crap this FA said or posted or shared.
He should be fired. While he has every 'right' to be ah homophobic racist pig.... the airline has every right to fire him.
A guy I know is a FA at a "big 3" US carrier.
You would never have the faintest idea of that from his social media.
What does it matter if he identified himself as an employee of the airline on twitter or whatever? What are United, the thought police? Unless he was misrepresenting his personal views and claiming they reflect the policies of his employer, any employment-related consequence constitutes a restriction on the freedom of expression and a win for the intolerant.
I get that it's not clever to talk about controversial matters within earshot of unknown customers, but...
What does it matter if he identified himself as an employee of the airline on twitter or whatever? What are United, the thought police? Unless he was misrepresenting his personal views and claiming they reflect the policies of his employer, any employment-related consequence constitutes a restriction on the freedom of expression and a win for the intolerant.
I get that it's not clever to talk about controversial matters within earshot of unknown customers, but there wasn't an animated argument or anything here, so I don't really see it as a sackable offence. If anything, United are supposed to be prioritising diversity, isn't diversity of perspective a robust driver of innovation for any organisation?
Not controversial... homophobic and racist! No one should have to put up with that crap!
Dude - understand the constitution. Freedom of speech or expression is only from government intervention (like throwing you in jail for what you say). You can be fired or suffer other consequences for what you say. Also, companies have policies on social media. You simply can not identify as working for a company and make divisive statements. Regardless of what you think that reflects poorly on the company and they are well within their rights...
Dude - understand the constitution. Freedom of speech or expression is only from government intervention (like throwing you in jail for what you say). You can be fired or suffer other consequences for what you say. Also, companies have policies on social media. You simply can not identify as working for a company and make divisive statements. Regardless of what you think that reflects poorly on the company and they are well within their rights to fire you for it. BTW, it must be worse than he states if his own union won't support him.
This is the ONLY rule that matters: "if you’re going to be controversial online, don’t tie the account to one that identifies your employer, especially if they have a policy on social media use."
speaking of politics, there must have been more than few earthquakes on election night when it "came out" that Miami-Dade County voted for Trump, the first time a Republican has carried the country in, like, how long?
carried the "county"
umm..... no-one was "speaking of politics.." , Tim Dunn, except you.
well, yes, Ben was, even though he said he wasn't.
same thing w/ religion.
None of which changes that the US thinks very differently than it did just a few months ago. and that was apparent on election night.
and Trump just nominated a high power hedge manager as Treasury Secretary - who also happens to be openly gay.
And now we will see exactly how broken this dude is. This is Trump's "diversity hire."
"Dude, as a Catholic, you’re also not supposed to be gay, if you’re one of those people who interprets things very literally."
You shouldn't make a theological pronouncement. The Roman Catholic church does not say a person cannot be gay. The Roman Catholic church says you can't act on that and engage in gay sexual relations. You have to be celibate. Other Christian denominations have a similar or identical teaching. Even very conservative evangelicals.
..."Dude, as a Catholic, you’re also not supposed to be gay, if you’re one of those people who interprets things very literally."
You shouldn't make a theological pronouncement. The Roman Catholic church does not say a person cannot be gay. The Roman Catholic church says you can't act on that and engage in gay sexual relations. You have to be celibate. Other Christian denominations have a similar or identical teaching. Even very conservative evangelicals.
Stay in your lane. Get back to travel and avoid the political and thelogical discussions.
When it comes to homosexuality, the pope said... who am I to judge?
That should be enough direction for everyone.
Just like every pope condemns pedophelia and then prevents priests from being brought to justice.
Show with actions, not words. Hypocrisy all around.
"Even very conservative evangelicals."
Bullsh!t. Spent 40+ years in the bowels of deep South evangelicalism, and there's not a single one that teaches you it's okay to be gay so long as you're celibate. They teach you that you're possessed by a demon that grips your sexuality and has damned you to hell save for confession.
Maybe YOU should "stay in your lane," because you certainly don't have a clue what you're talking about in that regard.
@ Nick Thomas — You can “be” gay, you just can’t act on it in any way. Hmmm…
Just like there are straight people who are celibate.
This man's entire social media presence is dedicated to loudly trolling liberals, so it's ironic that he's now upset that this behavior has been yet another lesson in freedom of speech ≠ freedom from consequence. The type of person who behaves this way online is the same type of person who would make those type of remarks in person.
It's funny how everyone latches on to him being gay, and think this is some gay/anti-gay thing.
Rule #1: Do not post controversial things on social media, while simultaneously appearing in uniform and announce who you work for, on said social media.
That's playing with a lighter, while sitting in a puddle of gas. Anyone (co-worker, customer, boss) gets a hair up their a**, you've signed your own termination letter for the "likes" and "upvotes".
This. Don is totally spot on. It has nothing to do with him being gay. It has everything to do with the fact that your employer sets the social media policy. If you want their paycheck, you have to play by their rules. If you don’t, that’s totally fine too, just understand that there are real consequences in this world.
You can’t break the rules and then start a go fund me when you’re...
This. Don is totally spot on. It has nothing to do with him being gay. It has everything to do with the fact that your employer sets the social media policy. If you want their paycheck, you have to play by their rules. If you don’t, that’s totally fine too, just understand that there are real consequences in this world.
You can’t break the rules and then start a go fund me when you’re held accountable for your actions.
Again, I have no problem with his views, lifestyle and opinions. That’s not my business. My issue is that, I’m sure UAL has a social media policy that was probably violated.
“I posted something on social media and got fired…..” will be the theme tune of this decade.
Social media version of the Darwin Principle.
OMAAT finally acknowledges Sam Brinton!!!! Can’t help but laugh at that face, maybe he works for Jaguar now.
That dude was the ultimate DEI grifter.
Not sure I believe the passenger, too many gay men attempt to cancel other gay men just because they have a disagreement. I am gay and don't like Pride, gay bars, mostly because of the overt drug use at those environments I had someone report me as a "homophobe" to my employer because I wrote it on a social media site responding to a guy who thought the gay bars should stay open at the...
Not sure I believe the passenger, too many gay men attempt to cancel other gay men just because they have a disagreement. I am gay and don't like Pride, gay bars, mostly because of the overt drug use at those environments I had someone report me as a "homophobe" to my employer because I wrote it on a social media site responding to a guy who thought the gay bars should stay open at the height of Covid. I ended up getting dismissed even though I myself am gay. I used my personal email address and the guy had to track me down through LinkedIn to find out who my employer was. What this passenger did wasn't that much different. A lot of vindictive gay guys are creeps that will do whatever they can, including making things up, to cut another guy they don't like off at the knees. I am not sure the details of the conversation and wouldn't trust the passenger. That being said, he shouldn't have posted anything controversial while in his uniform.
That he's a "Jr." tells me all that I need to know.
Poor Ruben here was never able to live up to the "Sr.", his supposed Catholic faith the only bond between him and his father while his own self could not be more diametrically opposed to that faith. He's now perpetually stuck between wanting to be his father or being different from his father.
Watching people attempt to amateur-shrink someone, based on information they don't have, is almost as entertaining as watching gay Conservatives explain why runaway right-wing policies won't affect THEM.
Firstly, this is an extremely well-written post. Bravo.
Secondly, it's sad that he (and colleague) didn't get fired for disrupting passenger's sleep by talking loudly enough to be heard. The average quality of flight attendants in North America is plain atrocious.
Just don't discuss religion or politics at work. Ever.
He can believe whatever he wants but publicly saying it at work and on a social platform identifying him as part of United, he should act in accordance with company policy, which he clearly did not.
Number one, everyone has the right to their own opinion and as long as it doesn't harm an individual it's not your company's business. Now admittedly discussing your opinions with co-workers is never a good idea. And this is what can happen, a busy body that complains to your company. In other words shut up and keep it strictly professional.
There is without a doubt no small number of gays that are not into the...
Number one, everyone has the right to their own opinion and as long as it doesn't harm an individual it's not your company's business. Now admittedly discussing your opinions with co-workers is never a good idea. And this is what can happen, a busy body that complains to your company. In other words shut up and keep it strictly professional.
There is without a doubt no small number of gays that are not into the transing the kids. Exhibit, Gays Against Groomers. Enough of my fellow gay men have been quite strong on their distaste for "drag queens". The world is not one big happy and perfect place.
Overall, while it was poor judgement on his part he should not be fired.
I hate to say it, but the logical next step is to become a right-wing grifter. He's already created a GoFundMe. There's seemingly limitless demand for minorities who are willing to sell out the rights of their fellow community members for a buck.
"But most gay conservatives I’ve heard from identify that way because they like some/most Republican policies, and believe (rightly or wrongly) that the party doesn’t oppose their rights." I have not heard the argument starting with "believe." Instead, I've heard the argument that, while many conservatives oppose their rights, they believe they will not be successful limiting them through constitutional protections, public opinion, and the utter incompetence of the extremists.
"But most gay conservatives I’ve heard from identify that way because they like some/most Republican policies, and believe (rightly or wrongly) that the party doesn’t oppose their rights." I have not heard the argument starting with "believe." Instead, I've heard the argument that, while many conservatives oppose their rights, they believe they will not be successful limiting them through constitutional protections, public opinion, and the utter incompetence of the extremists.
I also think for a lot of gay conservatives they've already lived through immense intolerance, so whether or not the government is intolerant makes no difference from their already lived experiences.
To people who strive to rid of that intolerance or have not experience that same level of intolerance, than intolerance in government may seem like a huge red flag. To people that have though - it's just more of the same and they've dealt...
I also think for a lot of gay conservatives they've already lived through immense intolerance, so whether or not the government is intolerant makes no difference from their already lived experiences.
To people who strive to rid of that intolerance or have not experience that same level of intolerance, than intolerance in government may seem like a huge red flag. To people that have though - it's just more of the same and they've dealt with it already and will continue to do so. How unfortunate.
His age is relevant. For 50+ gays it's not necessarily homphobic to be uncomfortable with same-sex marriage. His opposition is based upon his religion while many 50+ gays, including some sincere, credible liberationists feel that the whole "we're just like you" gay marriage fight was the wrong direction for the movement. So I'm cautious criticizing my gay brethren for opposing same-sex marriage. I also recognize that Freedom OF religion is the only principle that can...
His age is relevant. For 50+ gays it's not necessarily homphobic to be uncomfortable with same-sex marriage. His opposition is based upon his religion while many 50+ gays, including some sincere, credible liberationists feel that the whole "we're just like you" gay marriage fight was the wrong direction for the movement. So I'm cautious criticizing my gay brethren for opposing same-sex marriage. I also recognize that Freedom OF religion is the only principle that can deliver my cherished Freedom FROM religion. Let's have some compassion for people who still love their families and still believe whatever hateful superstitious nonsense they hear from the pulpit.
I do have one simple opinion maybe some will agree with: don't post about controversial stuff in your United uniform, you're asking for trouble. On that one, the guy was just dumb.
"For 50+ gays it's not necessarily homphobic to be uncomfortable with same-sex marriage"
What crock of sh!t. That's that same mentality that says "yeah, my grandpa still calls people n!gg@rs because that's just what everyone did in his time."
there is no age pass for homophobia. u sound just like those people who try to make excuses for someone being a racist just because they are old.
Eh. I'm older than 50 and I have no problem with equal marriage. It's not for me, but equal marriage is just fine.
People make. choices about this stuff and these folks have chosen a different broken path.
I hate flight attendants who talk on redeyes. I couldn't sleep in AA Flagship First from SFO to JFK because the crew were yapping in the galley. I glared at them but they didn't get the message. No amenity kit or earplugs were provided.
Absolutely. I wish Canadian and American FAs would spend a month in bootcamp-style training, kind of a finishing school, run by a good Asian airline like JL, NH, BR. But for that, one would need Management who knew there was a problem. good luck with that.