Dads say Southwest Airlines discriminated against their family

Jacob Lapp and David Forstadt were returning home to Ft. Lauderdale with their their two 6-year-old daughters. The family was stopped in Orlando when a gate agent refused to allow them to board the plane during family boarding time.

via WPLG Local10.com

The couple said that to add to their inconvenience, the Southwest Airlines employee was rude. Without a clear explanation, she said, “No! There is categories for a reason. Not you!” and “No! Move!”

Since the airline offers family boarding, Lapp and Forstadt believe the Southwest Airlines employee left them waiting because she discriminated against them.

“We are a family and we want to be represented as a family just like everyone else,” Forstadt said.

The company’s website has a section for LGBT Outreach and Gay Friendly Travel. Grant Morse and Sam Ballachino, a same-sex couple with three children, filed a discrimination lawsuit against the airline earlier this year when they weren’t allowed to board as a family in Fort Lauderdale.