Since 2010, Southwest Airlines has egregiously violated the rights of several of its customers, some of which were celebrities whose unsettling tweets were heard loud and clear by their fans. Regardless of celebrity status, Southwest Airlines should treat each of its customers equally and with respect.

Most recently, Leisha Hailey, star of the TV show “The L Word,” was kicked off a Southwest flight for kissing her girlfriend and Uh Huh Her bandmate, Camila Grey. Hailey tweeted about the incident, which took place on Sept. 26. Hailey tweeted that a flight attendant told her Southwest is “a ‘family’ airline and kissing was not excessive.” In the same statement, Southwest stated that it approached Hailey and Grey “based solely on behavior and not kiss.”

For an airline that is the official airline of GLAAD, Southwest’s actions toward Hailey and Grey seem blatantly homophobic. One can guess that Southwest would not remove a heterosexual couple from a plane for a single kiss. The fact that the attendant told Hailey and Grey that Southwest was a “family” airline brings into question the airline’s definition of “family.” Not every family consists of a man and a woman, and Southwest should respect the diversity of its customers.

Hailey and Grey are not the only celebrities to have been kick off of Southwest flights recently. In early 2010, actor and director Kevin Smith was removed from a Southwest flight because he was too large to fit in one seat. In September, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong was kicked off a Southwest flight for wearing sagging pants. Both Smith and Armstrong tweeted about the incidents. In both situations, the customers had already paid for their tickets and boarded their planes. They were not violating regulations or making conditions unsafe for other customers; they were discriminated against for their physical appearances. As paying customers, they should be allowed to fly in peace without being judged for something as superficial as weight or clothing.

Celebrities are not the only people facing discrimination from Southwest Airlines. On March 13, Irum Abbassi, a Muslim woman, was ejected from her Southwest flight from San Diego to San Jose before the plane even took off. Abbassi, who was wearing a hijab, was removed when a flight attendant overheard her say, “It’s a go,” while talking on her cell phone. According to Abbassi, she actually said, “I’ve got to