A customer on a recent Southwest Airlines flight had an uncomfortable experience after staff asked her to conceal a sign expressing support for President Joe Biden.
Jenny Grondahl, a labor organizer and outreach specialist for Arizona Latino voters for Biden during the 2020 campaign, was flying from Phoenix to San Diego last week.
With her, she carried a sign that read "Arizonenses Con Biden"—a souvenir of her work for the campaign.
Last Friday I was told by Southwest Air staff \u201cmany\u201d passengers complained and were offended by the @joebiden sign I was carrying under my arm. I was told to cover it up or not bring it aboard. I asked what if I was wearing a @potus tee told I\u2019d be asked to turn it inside out.pic.twitter.com/Mvm0mdz7u1— Jenny Gr\u00f8ndahl (@Jenny Gr\u00f8ndahl) 1627943480
It wasn't long before a Southwest employee asked her to conceal the sign, saying that "many people [were] offended by it." Grondahl asked the employee what would've been done if it was a tee shirt supporting Biden, to which the employee replied Grondahl would've been asked to turn it inside out.
Ultimately, she folded the sign and placed it under her seat.
Grondahl told Soo Youn of the Washington Post about the incident:
"I'm looking around at the gate, and I'm thinking, how many of you was it - 20 out of 110 people? And how offended were you? What did you say? How could people have such a visceral reaction to seeing the name of our president on a sign?"
She continued:
"I just looked around, and I thought about humanity in general. How devastatingly horrible that someone saw a name, or a different language, on a sign that I'm carrying, and stood in line to complain to the airline staff to the point that they then had to come complain to me, and asked me not to bring this on board?"
The story sparked a host of reactions on social media.
Southwest can do what they want, but why? Would I hate someone to be wearing a Trump shirt boarding the same flight as me? Absolutely. Do I think they should have to change their shirt? Nah.— Jacob Lyons (@Jacob Lyons) 1628219063
Companies can make their own rules. Just like Twitter.— Matteo (@Matteo) 1628218938
Umm yea he\u2019s the current president of the United States. If we have to live with their racist, fascist MAGA hats they can deal with this sign.— KR (@KR) 1628219142
Man, right-wingers are a bunch of super-soft, namby-pamby, crybaby snowflakes.— BetYourB00tz (@BetYourB00tz) 1628219394
Don't care if it's Trump, Biden, etc. \n\nPeople need to get over it.https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1423479282068869123\u00a0\u2026— Dave Martinez (@Dave Martinez) 1628256122
I\u2019ve seriously been wondering, with all of the belligerent passengers angry about masks, Biden signs, etc. \u2014 whether there are just more conservatives flying \u2014because they don\u2019t think the virus is real of course\u2026https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1423479282068869123\u00a0\u2026— Jenn Taylor-Skinner (@Jenn Taylor-Skinner) 1628220035
In situations like this, liberals said these policies were rarely enforced for conservative paraphernalia, while conservatives said the double standard favored liberals.
Southwest probably took lots of insurrectionists to DC for the January 6th coup attempt, and maybe now they think of those folks as their core audience. Good luck with the side you have chosen, @SouthwestAir . Those of us who are not traitors will find other airlines to fly.— MJB (@MJB) 1628219999
big deal....they did the same when Trump was President...you can't even walk on the streets: they would beat you up...Complain to Biden about what Democrats did to the country...you just got your Karma....and stop complaining to newspapers...whining all time...— Aleksandr1977 (@Aleksandr1977) 1628219492
Remember when people were getting in trouble for wearing a maga hat?\n\nTwo can play this game— P K (@P K) 1628242629
Almost every flight I\u2019ve been on for 5 years has had at least one Trump or confederate item of apparel on it. No one had to turn anything inside out\u2026— wolfonthehill (@wolfonthehill) 1628244004
Grondahl's souvenir sign is now hanging in her office—the folds in it another less welcome souvenir of her uncomfortable flight.
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