This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
While some businesses this month are choosing not to fall into line with the tradition of marking June as "Pride Month" – like the Idaho bar that instead is celebrating "Heterosexual Awesomeness Month" – Air Canada has dived into the alphabet soup with a special flight designated as "all-2SLGBTQIA+."
The recent flight was trumpeted via a promotion on X: "Our first all-2SLGBTQIA+ flight was a heartfelt celebration reflecting our unwavering commitment to inclusivity and equality, in the air and on the ground."
The "2S" stand for "two-spirit," a designation now getting top billing in the airline's efforts.
The X video shows crew members, both onboard and on the ground, who identify with one of the letter designations, or has a loved one who does.
"I thought it was a great initiative for the whole community," Jean-François, identified as a station attendant, said in the video. "It's somewhat of a thrill being on this flight today."
Another station attendant, René JR, felt similarly. "I'm here to support my daughter," he said. "One of my four children is part of this community. When I saw there was an opportunity to support her even more, I signed up for it right away."
Responses on X, however, noted the irony of the fact that excluding employees who are not "2SLGBTQIA+" is by its very nature "not inclusive."
Posted "Siobhan": "How is this a commitment to inclusivity & equality when straight people are excluded on purpose? You're ridiculous."
As reported by Fox News, Curtis Houck, managing editor of NewsBusters, posted on X, "This is a parody, right?"
Canadian blogger Mark Slapinski said, "Air Canada has gone FULLY WOKE. Raise your hand if you'll never fly on their airlines AGAIN."
The Daily Mail reported that many commenters expressed frustration that sexual identity, rather than professional competency and ability, was being showcased.
"When booking flights I know my first concern is the sexuality of the flight crew. LGB arent you sick of being used?" said one.
At one point, Air Canada was forced to stop accepting comments on its controversial post.
"Nothing screams 'inclusion' like blocking most of the public from commenting on your company's post," said an X user.
Another posited: "As a gay man, I find it absolutely terrifying you put people in the cockpit based on their identity rather than their skill to fly a plane. …"
As Breitbart reported, this is not the first time Air Canada has been thrust into the public eye for reasons it did not foresee.
In 2019, it parted with tradition by dropping "ladies and gentlemen" or the French "mesdames et messieurs" when greeting passengers aboard its aircraft.
Instead, crew were ordered to use gender-neutral greetings such as "good morning everybody" in a bid to spare the feelings of gender fluid passengers.
A company memo stated, "we want to ensure an inclusive space for everyone, including those who identify with gender X."
