A lesbian traveler has taken to X to share an awkward interaction she had with a United Airlines flight attendant, who called her shirt offensive, and that post has gone viral. While I disagree with the exact words the flight attendant reportedly used, I completely agree with the idea of what she’s saying.
Continue reading: United Employee Calls Out Passenger For “Offensive” Lesbian Shirt… And She’s Right
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
As a queer person with no children, this is very funny to me and I can totally imagine it happening - the assumption that "lesbian" and not "shit" is the offensive part is pretty natural, if you have experience being judged for your sexuality, but don't spend a lot of time in spaces that care about foul language (eg formal workplaces, schools, religious institutions)
I mean this with absolutely no offense: I’m guessing the shirt was absolutely redundant and unnecessary to identify the wearer’s sexuality. It was worn to be offensive and “in your face”, the kind of behavior avoided by people wanting to be accepted.
What if was written in another language that the crew could not understand? Fait chier. lesbienne à fond. Putain.
Lucky there were no World Cup supportes on the flight
He's orange , he's got piles, he's in the Epstein Files. Dooooonald Trump
Did this interaction happen in the air or on the ground? Because there's not much point in pointing something like that out in the air.
Actually, the original statement, "I WOULD have cared less" (emphasis mine), means exactly what it sounds like. There is a big difference between "could" and "would" in this situation.
Agreed the shirt shouldn't have been worn.
But who are we trying to protect? Children? Cause bitch and ass are very common on TV nowadays. And I can guarantee a kids classmates say way worse. My little sister tells me all the tea.
Then 60% of US Men travelers should be called out as well.
Never seen that much Men with disgusting Tees then in the US.
Say a teen girl with her mom at the mall. The teen's sweatshirt had, in large letters, F^&K You, written on it. I was in disbelief. It was a large family focused mall at around lunch time.
While I find the shirt to be in poor taste and it would negatively affect my opinion of the wearer, I don't find it offensive in the sense that it ought to be banned from public view. That word will be part of your child's vocabulary eventually anyway.
Funny story: Shortly after the last post on offensive t-shirts, I was on a plane and coincidentally saw a guy in front of me looking at one of them (identical text) as if he was going to buy it, which kinda shocked me. Then, a minute later, I saw the familiar OMAAT logo, so it was just a fellow reader of this blog!
I am much more offended by other things people wear. Do I get to tell them to change out of shirts, hats, jewelry etc. showing political affiliation, religious beliefs or brand loyalty? And, yes, you can tell your kid to stop looking at my breasts.
shirt seems in poor taste but not terrible in the scheme of things. FA would have been within her rights to ask her to change it, but if she wasn't going to do that then mentioning it just to be judgmental was a dick move
A child so sheltered as to never hear the word 'shit' is probably going to struggle surviving in the real world...
Well, perhaps the real world is the way it is because people have just stopped giving a errr… sh*t.
The issue, and I've experienced this first hand on the airline side, is where is the line of what's appropriate and not? I think the F/A should have made the specific statement that the "obscenity" is the issue, nothing else. I had a situation once with someone wearing a Trump red hat and another with a knock-off of it that said F trump spelled out on the same flight. Explained the issue isn't the message, it's the verbiage on display. I got them a piece of speed tape to cover the obscenity and offered they could put the hat in their bag or cover the word. They took off the hat but wanted the piece of speed tape as "that's cool." I didn't make X or tiktok that day.....
Then again, I've also had to tell a female passenger that every time they bend over to grab something from their bag the whole gate area can see their labia, so they're gonna need to change clothes to proceed. They are the one that got upset with me and threw their bag at my agent.
UA are an international airline. If that phrase had been written in Hindi, Polish, or Korean, what are the chances of the flight attendant having said anything? Is it appropriate for airlines to discriminate on the basis of that sort of thing when FAs are carrying a device which is capable of translating anything printed on an item of clothing?
We’re getting hung up on the technicalities and social mores of this very particular incident, but there’s the bigger picture to consider.
I get the shirt joke, and would find the shirt fun and funny at a pride event, bar, or party. But this event highlights a problem of judgment as to what you bring to a public social setting. We travel all over the world and a shirt like this is something that I would only expect to see being worn by someone from the US (and I’m from the US). The American urge to shout “Look at me! Look at me!” in public is something that should be saved for your paying audience, assuming you are an entertainer. Likewise, save your angry polarized rants for settings that more effective than political masturbation in an airport or on a plane. Sure, that makes you feel good, but it doesn’t lead to anything productive or make you particularly attractive.
In a stressful, crowded public setting where nobody can head for the exits, please stifle yourself and make things as calm and dull as possible. Or, actually take the time (very rewarding) to chat up other travelers and learn something about them and your world, rather than just shouting into the void about yourself. It makes travel so much more fun for everyone.
Most of the US public is so slovenly I really try to pretend they do not exist. What I would wear for moving furniture around my apartment (what I'm doing today) too many people think is totally appropriate attire for the airport.
What I do mine is when you disturb my peace. When your little juvenile delinquent is running amuck in the club or the premium cabin. When you have to scream into a cell phone on speak to Homer and Marge back home that you're in an airline club.
I might think your shirt makes you look like a dumbass (ditto wearing a mask in 2026) but I really don't give a flying fig. I have no desire to know that you even exist.
Can someone please explain to me why some people are so desperate to express their sexuality? Thanks
Because for decades/centuries it was forbidden to live authentically as a gay person, and in many places, it still is.
Agreed, but some of those people wearing masks are doing so to protect loved ones or patients, with whom they have contact, that have compromised immune systems (e.g. chemotherapy patients who lost all immunity to everything).
How about Americans stop being offended? That word lost its meaning. Everything is offensive to someone. Sure, if someone wears a political t-shirt, is racist or homophobic, etc, feel free to judge them based on their behavior and adjust your interactions accordingly but let’s please stop trying to social engineer everything.
Over the past decade there has been a general degradation of our social mores. I wish people looked in the mirror before departing for a restaurant, a theatre, church, temple or airport, and ask yourself.....it this appropriate for the venue. They don't, and i'm at a loss as to how to improve this.
You're allowed to say "shit" on television so what's the difference? Get over it and walk away.
Why elevate divisive click bate stories. All you do is rally people to join a side and hate at each other. Stick to showing us nice business class seats first class lounges and good stories. If your plan is to amplify division to get clicks then sorry but we must go our seperate ways. If a person finds a shirt offensive then deal with it through the company policy and move on, we don't want or need the situation fed to us as click bate masquerading as an aviation story. People deal with these sorts of situations daily in a polite and professional manner without restoring to seeking an international online relation that will amplify hate just to get a few more clicks on a blog. Please reflect on what your motivation to amplify this.
If it means Tim Dunn has to ask his mom what “lesbians” are after spotting this shirt in public, I’m all for it.
I hate myself for the moment, Paul. I have long since learned not to read the stupid comments from a handful of OMAAT's most poetic responders. I need to do better and not read Ben's stupid clickbait posts. Waste of time, for what purpose? The FA and the loser passenger can sort it out, thank you very much.
Yes, we should all have to wear airline t-shirts with their logo. Given to us at the gate.
George, I tend to agree with your posts about 98% of the time. I'd say you're off the mark regarding the masks. I don't disagree, except that there really are some folks out there who are immunocompromised, or perhaps even traveling with a communicable disease. Agree?
I’m sure no adult would have to guess this miscreant was “Lesbian as Sh#t” just by looking at that person. UA was right. The word Sh#t is offensive, and only allowed on paid services, not in public or free television, And certainly not in front of children. Why do some lunatics feel the need to confront at every opportunity?
My take is that you're wrong on this. Not everything had to be tailored to someone else's children, even if the children were bought and paid for.
Because no one who speaks Hindi, Polish, or Korean would be stupid enough to wear such a shirt on a flight.
Time and place, people... time and place.
I FULLY AGREE WITH YOUR VIEWS UA FA IS NOT FI T FOR FA JOB SHE HAS NO HUMOUR OR LACKIG TOLERANCE SHE MUST BE A RACIST
That’s where some in your community has it bass ackwards. No body cares about your bedroom, your “identity’ or sexual persuasion. You are free to be you in America. (Try it in “Palestine” see where that gets you, if you’re not tossed off a building after being tortured) But when your community or activists pushes it in everyone’s face, that’s where you get backlash. Funny offensive shirts, no I think not.
Bro I don’t get your point. Are you saying that flight attendants should walk around routinely scanning all T-shirts that have foreign language slogans using Google Translate to make sure they’re not offensive? Or that the rule against offensive slogans shouldn’t be enforced at all because foreign language slogans may not be picked up? Use a bit of common sense. What is it with you snowflakes who see discrimination everywhere?
The shirt isn’t “deeply offensive”, but it’s not appropriate to wear while travelling. On a night out? Sure.
Ok since no one bought it up yet.
To people who think sh*t is inappropriate.
What about
L*** as poop.
L as feces.
Coitus T*
Intercourse B****
Or it's not childish enough it has to be spelled like a kindergarten kid.
Birds and Bees Mr.PrɘyƨiDɘɘnt
You’re *not* allowed to say Shit on broadcast TV in the USA. (But you can on cable.)
Americans and their weird hang ups with swearing. Yet murdering children in schools is fine.
Lucky - You should be careful what waters you wade into.
There is no need to post inflammatory posts about shit that happens daily on airlines, especially if discrimanatory.
How would you like it if someone attacked you for being a gay parent?
I am loud and proud, but also do not wear my sexuality on a tee shirt.
You can do better.
We all know this woman would be greatly offended if I trotted onboard with a "hetero as shit" t shirt, and not offended by the shit part.
It's all performative, as with all left wing victim groups. Of course, if they were actually persecuted, they wouldn't so brazenly declare their status. You don't see people in Ben's favorite middle east countries wearing such shirts for a reason.
Oh a Hamas/Iran lover and a gullible believer of their propaganda I see. Beheading babies, raping women and taking hostages, using your own people as human shields, that's my hangup.
My dad worked for United when I was a kid so I flew on passes all the time. In the late 70’s and early 80’s when mom lived in Jersey and dad in the Bay Area, SFO-EWR was $11 in Y and $40 in F. Every month or so I flew transcon to visit my other parent and those were the days of 747’s and DC-10’s on the flagship routes.
There was a strict dress code when you flew on passes back then. You had to wear dressy pants (no jeans), respectable shoes and a collared shirt. If coach was full and you had to fly in first class, you had to have a tie ready to put on. Hence the collared shirt. Women had a comparable dress code. Basically you were representing the airline as a dependent traveling space available so you had to be respectable.
I don’t care who someone loves, what their beliefs are or what style makes them happy. But sometimes presenting yourself in public with a basic sense of decency will earn you some respect. It’s something my grandmother instilled in me.
“…if you wouldn’t feel comfortable explaining to your child what’s on a shirt, it could probably be considered “offensive”…”
Which particular bit of the three word-statement would you feel uncomfortable about to explain to your children?
The shirt is utterly tasteless, but offensive?
There will be greater challenges ahead raising your kids than navigating around the word “shit” (or “lesbian” for that matter).
And I agree with others, that this is a totally unnecessary post.
About wearing a mask now…I take two drugs because of an autoimmune disease I have. Both really have lowered my ability to fight disease. Because of that, I wear a mask at my packed grocery store. I’m not a dumbass!
A child taught to believe that word is acceptable in everyday conversation will struggle to fit in to society.
Then, 60% of US male travelers should be called out as well.
Never seen that many men with disgusting tees than in the US.
@Bob , I'm obviously saying that they shouldn't enforce it. There are lots of things in the job description of FAs, acting as arbiters of morality and/or social etiquette won't normally be included in the duties.
I envy these people for having so few real problems that they have enough energy left to bother with nonsense like this. Get a life guys. It's just a t-shirt.
Well, the first problem is that the US has only had 45 president's. Trump was 44, Biden was 45.
I find it appalling and distasteful that @BenSchlappig or @omaat staff don't have community standards on this blog. Everyone can have an opinion but allowing classless and xenophobic behavior... now I wonder if it's reflective of Ben's or his staff's opinion.
What an absolutely sh tt y take for a gay parent to take. This was clearly an anti gay action by the flight attendant. Can't believe you'd support that.
Why must everything be so vulgar all the time? I want nothing to do with poop, much less wear the word on my t-shirt.
I’m outraged that you’re offended by everyone being offended at everything all the time!
/s
Yeah, sure, the “left” is the only one doing this… /s
(In reality, the Trumpers are the biggest snowflakes around.)
I've tried to overlook your political comments because I believe everyone is entitled to their beliefs and as a frequent traveler, I enjoy reading "travelers behaving badly" anecdotes. However, your support of murdering people you disagree with is not only sad, it spreads hate. Violence is not the answer, I hope you become more open minded and accepting but I won't be reading along anymore to find out. All the best!