Virgin Atlantic has historically been a pretty progressive airline, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ policies. The airline has today unveiled an updated gender identity policy, and the airline even has a pretty catchy campaign to promote it.
Continue reading: Virgin Atlantic Updates Gender Identity Policy
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Great! But if a flight attendant identifies as a pilot, do they get to fly the plane?
If I bought basic economy but identify as flying upper - will they ensure my inclusivity in upper?
Nobody cares what the FAs are wearing or what made-up pronouns and titles they want to use for themselves. We do care about the quality of service we receive.
Yes, but just hope the pilot doesn't decide to identify as an FA in mid-flight...
Not sure how these other comments are relevant - why are people getting pressed by identities and will in no way affect them? It's obviously different if a FA wanted to fly the plane - that is not their job scope and it will affect lives. If someone has a gender preference, how about letting them be who they choose to be? It doesn't affect you personally does it? You do know there are also intersex people in this world and this occurs naturally when they are born?
The fact they've used mostly 'activists' who aren't even Virgin crew for the launch suggests this won't affect many of the actual cabin crew. This feels a bit more like a marketing ploy for their recruitment drives than something that will actually be taken up by many staff.
She's RuPaul's BFF and a waste of space as a judge on nearly every season of RuPaul's Drag Race in the US and all seasons of UK and Down Under. Also, probably the only cis-woman to actively look more like a drag queen than nearly EVERY drag queen competing on the show. That's quite the feat.
Slow clap. Great retred of the most tired and lazy trans joke.
Plase do make an effort next time you try to hurt our feelings, sweetie ️⚧️️
As Ben mentioned, even Pakistan and India, which are conservative in many ways, offer a third gender option on their passports. It reflects the fact that, like many other societies around the world, their cultures have had trans and gender non-conforming people for thousands of years. It's nothing new. And for the asinine comments below, FAs do the exact same job as each other regardless of uniform or pronouns. Your stupid attempts at humor fall flat.
Well done, Virgin Atlantic. That’s how it should be, unlike all the ‘quiet quitters’ at the US3 who love making everyone’s experience as miserable as possible.
lmao you can keep your feelings, I wouldn't care to hurt it if they paid me for it.
But if we're living in fantasy world we either respect every fantasy or respect no fantasy at all. Anything else would be unfair - and I hear fairness is something you must care very deeply about.
I've never seen that Rupaul show, though I'm aware of its existence. Overall I think this is a nice move. As long as the service continues to be good on Virgin Atlantic (I love flying them) then this is fine, as far as I'm concerned.
My next flight with them is early November, I'm gonna get a badge in the clubhouse. I just haven't decided which one yet.
I would agree. This is marketing virtue signaling. I've never cared about the sex of my cabin crew. Can they do their jobs well and in the event of an emergency will their actions help save lives? Period.
the fact that people using words like "crap" and "normal" is exactly the reason that this is important.
I will, and will consider flying Virgin Atlantic much more than I currently do.
the fantasy world is actually the one where you're dead-set on thinking it's still 1952.
there's absolutely no reason that recognizing trans, non-binary, and queer people should be controversial
That Virgin does it, why not, it is indeed inclusive. But that Virgin communicates about it in a campaign is purely virtue marketing.
Not at all, that's a right to be gay and be completely ignorant of famous drag queens. According to one of the most famous dictionary, to be gay is to be "sexually attracted to people of the same sex and not to people of the opposite sex". Full stop. Everything else is activism and marketing. Thanks god, we can be gay and not in the "gay culture", which doesn't mean it's bad but not have a taste for it or a knowledge of it. Reversely, one can be straight and watch the Drag race.
Someone who is gay or straight or bi, or any other option, but doesn't think that their sexual orientation makes their identity. Their identity is more driven by their country, nation, culture, town, hobbies, tastes, traits of characters, passions, people they love, faith, etc..
"I don't care" is not a homophobic or transphobic statement. To the contrary, it means we've moved beyond being musty old busybodies from the past who think your gender identity, whom you love, or what you do in acts of love, are my or the community's business. It means I will only expect you to do your job, not police your lifestyle. There is no phobia behind "live your life however, I just need you to be a good FA".
I'm a bit confused...is red supposed to be an ostensibly female color and burgundy an ostensibly male color (seems a bit odd but ok) and employees are free to choose their preferred color? Or are employees also free to choose pants or skirts as well?
I mean, be yourself, by all means...i just never viewed burgundy as a male color.
Trans, non-binary, gender-non-confirming folks aren't harming you in any way - what's with the intense animosity? It doesn't cost you anything to be considerate and kind.
If you were truly unfazed about gender expression, you'd also be OK with recognizing and honoring trans/non-binary folks, and probably wouldn't be putting this much effort into a comment
I actually get what 'The handsome and Great' JoJo is trying to say. Even zib/co is probably reading way too much right wing propaganda.
"Today I feel like a boy tomorrow I could be a girl next week"
If that is fine and you should be considerate about their preferred identity.
Why is it racist if a Caucasian wearing 'blackface' if that person does identify as a 'black' for that day?
I don't condone such behaviors but it does get me thinking.
If you can choose a preferred gender why can't you choose a preferred race?
Where is the line drawn?
It seems to me that patriotic and socially conservative older white men, are the most persecuted group of people on earth these days. The woke elites have no time for our concerns and our views.
Yeah...I figured there would be a post from someone with a deep-SEATED (look it up) mental illness who simply must mock and belittle others to try and cover his own weakness and inadequacy. Having an "opinion" on how others live their lives, opens yourself up to the same scrutiny.
What a sad, sorry existence and burden it must be to be so much better than the rest of us.
“At Virgin Atlantic, we celebrate diversity. That’s why we’re giving all our staff the choice of red, or maroon”
Allowing the staff to chose the uniform is one thing, but having the gender neural on boarding cards will create problems for people especially if they are flying to countries that don't accept this (either society, politics, and/or the systems). Consider if you got one of those passports or boarding passes and you go to somewhere that is not equipped to handle it then what do you do. We have to understand that a lot of the world's functions are not set up for this.
I am fleeing all corporate brands who do virtue signalling - I find it disgusting to use a human cause or a social aspect to, at the end of the day, make money. That's really ok for non-for-profit but for corporate brands, that stinks.
It just happens that the masculine uniform is burgundy, and the feminine uniform is red, but calling them out by their colour other than the uniform's 'gender' is more inclusive.
WestJet recently launched their new uniform and planned the 2 different fit collections under un-gendered collection names. Staff are allowed to wear either the "men's" or "women's" uniform.
What is interesting is that this new policy has had quite a lot of kickback from Virgin crew themselves.
Why?
Airline crews are paid a variety of ways but generally the longer the flight the more the hourly rate. And, the more expensive food is in the destination country, the higher the meal allowences paid.
So, there are popular and unpopular trips. And this isn't solely down to the money factor but also the desirability of the destination. 24 hours in NYC is generally more preferable than 24 hours in Lagos for most crew,
However....a cis male cabin crew member wearing a female cabin crew uniform to say Islamabad or Dubai or Lagos...I mean you get the gist. It ain't gonna go down well.
So, Virgin have given an exemption to the crew that self identify as 'other' and choosing to wear an alternative uniform from being rostered those routes.
This has understandably upset many of the other crew who will have to continue to serve these 'unpopular' destinations.
You're gonna ultimately have like 2 places to shop.
Essentially all large corporations do this, in some way or other, for/to some group or other.
Ah yes, straight White males-- so persecuted.
But who knows, maybe if they keep up the struggle, they could achieve something in Western society! Hell, we could even see a straight White male become President of the USA someday.... maybe even 44 times in a row.
"the fact that people using words like "crap" and "normal" is exactly the reason that this is important."
Is it though? ........ gonna go with: no.
You're conflating reality TV about people who choose to compete as transvestites, with the daily lives of people born as transsexuals.
Ridiculous. Like other corporations that pull this crap; they won't be getting my business. Perhaps there is a planet where these lunatics can go believe whatever they choose to believe they are. I choose to remain and live on Earth; where there are only two genders. SICKENING.
Awww...triggered? So insecure in your own life you have to attack complete and total strangers for living their life as they want. These people do not bother me in the least, even though I may not agree with them. Why should it bother you?
But why, oh why, make such an outward, in-your-face display? It seems arrogant to assume that most people even care. I don't. Also, I don't understand the disdain for discipline and shared identity with a corporation. What's next, combat soldiers being allowed to express their gender preference on the battle field? Where does it end? It's quite ironic that an airline with the word, "virgin", in it would go so far as to make an outward reference to sexuality, which is the grounding place of gender. I, for one, am NOT on board with it. The focus of our minds should be somewhere else more beneficial to everyone.