In the last two months, two airlines have gone out of business, Aloha and ATA, leaving thousands of flight attendants unemployed. These flight attendants were covered under union contracts that provided them stable wages, 
health care, and a path to retirement.
Now all of that is gone. They need a helping hand. Can you help?
Mark and Steve, two flight attendants and union members for over 15 years (who still have jobs thank goodness!) have joined Pride At Work, the organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers, to show some pride in the sky with a food drive.
More information after the fold....
Pride At Work is collecting donations that will go to buy grocery store gift cards for flight attendants who have been laid off. It will come in a card, with a personalized message from you. To find out more, visit Pride In The Sky.
If you give $30, $20 will go to a grocery gift card, and $10 will go to make you a member of Pride At Work or renew your membership. Have an IRS stimulus check that is burning in your pocket? Give $100 and $90 goes to gift cards and $10 goes to your Pride At Work membership. Give all $600, and $590 will go to put food on flight attendants' families tables.
As working folks, we depend on our community to help out when times are tough. Let's show our friends in the airline industry that the LGBT community cares about them in their time of need, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
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9 Comments
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Thanks for getting this information out, Jeremy! As a former flight attendant, it warms my heart to see our community reaching out and supporting the many FA's who need our help right now.
Waymon Hudson | May 14, 2008 11:08 AM
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Please remember to save a portion for aid to Burma and China where a million people, without anything more than a plastic tent, are attempting to keep children alive with water not fit to drink. Our struggles are relatively small.
Robert Ganshorn | May 14, 2008 12:07 PM
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As a former 14 year airline employee, I'm definitely down with that program.
It was working in a airline environment that allowed me the freedom to transition in the first place. One of the things I miss about my airline days iss all the wonderful GLBT people that worked there and throughout the industry.
Monica Roberts | May 14, 2008 6:53 PM
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I think people can support either or both, Robert. There's no need to deny help to your neighbor because you can't afford to help someone else across the world. If someone can only afford to do one, by all means it should be their choice. We should simply be grateful that one person is giving to charity. That happens in such a small percentage of society, we should celebrate it and make it easy to do - including without guilt trips over other causes.
Bil Browning | May 14, 2008 7:33 PM
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No guilt intended Bil. I get CNN Asia and it is quite dire in Burma and more is coming in about China all the time. I hate to see anyone lose a job, but at least in the states we are not looking for water.
Robert Ganshorn | May 15, 2008 3:48 AM
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Great!
Yeah... what's up with there being so many queers working for airlines? I just visited a couple of friends of A's and one was a flight attendant...
Alex Blaze | May 15, 2008 4:46 AM
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Alex, I don't know! An elderly friend of mine who is post 70 years of age (and a member of the 10,000 feet club) sums up Gay "stereotypical" occupations thusly:
Airline steward=Air Mary
Florist=Petal Queens
Hair Dresser=Hair Bender
Interior Designer=Drag Queens wearing curtains
He, like myself, was a commercial traveler in the Gift, Decorative Accessories, and Tableware markets. Or as we called ourselves "Dish Queens."
A lot of occupations that involve hard work, long hours, travel, perfectionism and patience are occupations we excel in and should be proud to as well as we do them.
Robert Ganshorn | May 15, 2008 11:33 AM
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And the airlines penchant for hiring good looking people for their front line postiions like flight attendants and gate personnel also plays into that being a haven for GLBT peeps as well.
Monica Roberts | May 15, 2008 5:46 PM
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And the airlines penchant for hiring good looking people for their front line postiions like flight attendants and gate personnel also plays into that being a haven for GLBT peeps as well.
Monica Roberts | May 15, 2008 5:58 PM
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