Houston woman asked to leave flight because of her outfit says sexism, race, 'played a role'

Houston-based family physician Tisha Rowe said she and her 8-year-old son were humiliated after an American Airlines flight crew required she "cover up" the summer outfit she was wearing in order to fly back home. less Houston-based family physician Tisha Rowe said she and her 8-year-old son were humiliated after an American Airlines flight crew required she "cover up" the summer outfit she was wearing in order to fly back ... more Photo: Courtesy Tisha Rowe Photo: Courtesy Tisha Rowe Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Houston woman asked to leave flight because of her outfit says sexism, race, 'played a role' 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Before Tisha Rowe boarded her American Airlines flight to Miami after a family trip to her homeland in Jamaica last month, she said she made a quick pit stop and checked her appearance in a bathroom mirror.

"I did my customary turn, check your bum, make sure nothing is hanging out," Rowe, who has lived in Houston the last ten years, said. "I remember giving myself a thumbs up, [thinking] nothing is inappropriate [about her outfit]."

Rowe made it through the gates and was halfway to her seat when a flight attendant asked her to step off the plane because the flight crew thought the tropical one-piece romper she was wearing was "inappropriate," according to Rowe.

Rowe said the flight crew asked if she had a jacket she could "cover up" with and when she responded no, she was taken aback at their response.

"She just said, 'Well you can't get on the plane dressed like that,'" Rowe said.

What followed was a back-and-forth argument between the flight crew and Rowe, in which she continued to defend her outfit and alleged that the crew was racially and sexually discriminating against her, she said.

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After noticing her 8-year-old son was visibly upset by the confrontation, Rowe said she opted to wear a blanket so the crew would let her back onto the plane.

"I wrapped the blanket around my waist and they just continue[d] to chastise me," Rowe said. "At this point it feels like I am being ganged up on. I just calmly said 'I have complied with your request, please let me on the plane.' After the third time they finally let me on the flight."

Embarrassed and humiliated, Rowe said she walked down the aisle back to her seat "in disbelief." Her 8-year-old was so upset by the incident he spent most of the flight in tears, Rowe said.

"Once I saw he was crying, then I was angry," Rowe said. "I worked so hard to put [this trip] together and then it just ends like this?"

Rowe said she took her frustration to social media and posted about the incident, later sharing photos of her outfit to Twitter. Her tweet went viral and earned support from thousands of people, especially women.

"I didn't anticipate that response," Rowe said. "It was a moment of sheer humiliation for me, but I am glad I thought to speak up for myself."

Rowe, a family medicine physician and founder of her own tele-medicine company, said she feels she was targeted because she is a curvy black woman and that her curves made her "less appropriate in their eyes."

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"As an African-American woman people look at us as having less power, we are a double minority," Rowe said. "I do feel that if I had been another race, I don't think they would have had the nerve to tell me to get off the pane. And that sentiment has been echoed widely from white women [online] so I feel comfortable that this just isn't in my head."

Rowe's lawyer said aside from a "brief exchange of direct messages," American Airlines has not been thorough in responding to her claims.

"Issuing a social media apology is, seems to me, the 'thoughts and prayers' of the corporate world in response to what is plainly an act of sexism and racism," said Geoffrey Berg of the Berg Plummer Johnson Raval law firm.

Berg said they are still waiting on a response from the airline and said if they do not hear back they will discuss "exercising legal remedies."

A spokesperson for American Airlines issued the following statement to Chron.com:

"We were concerned about Dr. Rowe's comments, and reached out to her and our team at the Kingston airport to gather more information about what occurred. We apologize to Dr. Rowe and her son for their experience, and have fully refunded their travel. We are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds and are committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us."

The incident is not the first time American Airlines has faced discrimination claims. The airline was repeatedly called out by organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for mistreatment of black passengers in the past.

Just last year, the NAACP lifted a nine-month travel advisory against the airline after determining it had taken enough steps to address discrimination concerns, according to the Washington Post.

The Post reported the airline took several steps to addressing the concerns, including launching implicit bias training courses and overhauling how it investigates customer complaints of discrimination.



For Rowe, though, "apologies are no no longer enough."

"That is not a unique incident - airlines have been policing other passengers and persons of color and there is a bigger issue," Rowe said. "We need airlines to own up to their mistakes and say 'this is what we are going to do to make the flying experience equal.'"

Rowe said she hopes the right steps will be taken to remedy the situation and prevent it from happening again to future passengers. Her main motivation to speak up now is because of the toll the incident has taken on her son, she said.

"You can't undo trauma with an apology," Rowe said. "To see your mother objectified, insulted, humiliated...everything they did to me in that moment they also did to him. I have worked too hard to give him a great life to have an outsider do that to him for no reason, to make him feel like he his beneath anyone else."

Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message

