Even though the mask mandate was recently (and possibly preemptively) removed on airlines everywhere, some passengers continue to find a way to make the skies anything but “friendly” when they are choosing to fly via air travel. On a recent Delta Airlines flight, a passenger was arrested after he both attacked a flight attendant with homophobic slurs and subsequently attacked him physically on a flight from Atlanta to Phoenix.
Heading home from Beijing with @TeamUSA like ✈️🇺🇸🥇
See you in 2024, Paris. pic.twitter.com/dAaM2SQoHs
— Delta (@Delta) February 21, 2022
According to NBC News, the incident on the flight began even before takeoff began. The criminal complaint states that Christopher Alexander Morgan was seated in first class and initially refused to wear a seat belt, subsequently refusing to put his seat in the upright position when asked by the flight crew (a flight attendant eventually had to force his seat into the upright position so the flight could take off). After having one alcoholic cocktail and being refused a second one, Morgan threw the ice at the flight attendant, calling him “queer”, following up with a homophobic slur. The incident escalated, with Morgan assaulting the flight attendant with the telephone that the attendant was using to contact the cockpit. Morgan was arrested by the Phoenix Police Department, then released into FBI custody. The Sacramento Bee reports that Morgan told the FBI “that he is homophobic and that it is possible he could have been intimidating to the flight attendants,” during an interview, according to the complaint. He said he called the flight attendant a “queer” but denied attacking him or grabbing the telephone from his hands, according to the FBI.
For Delta Airlines, their dedication to the LGBTQ community remains (as their website states) “a point of pride” for them. From walking in Pride parades from New York City to Los Angeles to being a key sponsor for the GLAAD Media Awards, Delta remains a stalwart and consistent ally to the LGBTQ community. They also have been designated one of the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) “Best Places To Work” for LGBTQ+ employees in 2010 and 2011, and they have earned near-perfect scores on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index ever since. Delta was also one of the 2021 recipients of the 2021 Gay Travel Awards “for its allyship with the LGBTQ+ community as the top airline in the 2021 GayTravel Awards”.
Follow Delta on Instagram