United Airlines announced in a Friday press release that it will be the first U.S. airline to allow customers to identify themselves with a non-binary gender.
“United Airlines today announced it has become the first U.S. airline to offer non-binary gender options throughout all booking channels in addition to providing the option to select the title ‘Mx.’ during booking and in a MileagePlus customer profile,” the release began. “Customers now have the ability to identify themselves as M(male), F(female), U(undisclosed) or X(unspecified), corresponding with what is indicated on their passports or identification.” (RELATED: Catholic Journalist Gets Visit From Police After ‘Misgendering’ A Trans Person)
The company tweeted out the announcement with the slogan “Fly how you identify.”
Fly how you identify. Our new non-binary gender options are now available.
— United Airlines (@united) March 22, 2019
The statement goes on to explain that United Airlines teamed up with Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and The Trevor Project to compile initiatives by which employees will be trained about “preferred pronouns and the persistence of gender norms, LGBT competency in the workplace and other steps to make United an inclusive space for both customers and employees.” (RELATED: LGBT Group Targets ‘Far-Right’ Brett Kavanaugh As ‘Direct Threat’)
Though United Airlines did not respond to The Daily Caller’s request for specifics of their training initiatives, HRC’s “Diversity Training on Gender Identity and Gender Expression” website explains that “to ensure compliance with employment policies, all employees should at a minimum have clear guidance regarding appropriate workplace behavior and the consequences of failing to comply with anti-discrimination policies that include gender identity.”
United Airlines did not indicate what, if any, disciplinary or legal actions would be taken against any employee who misgendered a passenger.
HRC further stipulates that “supervisory employees should receive diversity training that includes clear examples of discrimination based on gender identity shortly after starting employment and on a regular basis thereafter.” (RELATED: Tucker Interviews Teacher Fired After Refusing To Call Trans Student By Preferred Pronoun)
United Airlines is the first airline to implement the policy after members of the industry trade groups Airlines for America (A4A) and International Air Transport Association “approved a new international standard for non-binary passengers effective June 1,” per CNN.