In the annals of well-documented naughty passengers on airplanes, this one is surely going to trigger some debate.
American Airlines, citing its own policy that prohibits passengers from wearing “clothing that displays offensive statements and inappropriate language,” forced a female cancer survivor from wearing a sweatshirt that read “F*** Cancer” aboard the flight.
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The woman, Roslyn Singleton, is actually a two-time cancer survivor from North Carolina. The story was originally reported by Charlotte, N.C.-based WSOC-TV and later published by Fox News.
Singleton, who was asked to cover the lettering on the shirt, said she felt humiliated by a gate agent for American Airlines who apparently pointed at her while she was in line and called her out.
“I don’t love cancer,” she told WSOC-TV. “I don’t respect it, and my sweatshirt gave my exact sentiments on something that has tried to kill me twice.”
Singleton later complied after an employee told her to cover up the message.
American Airlines did not immediately return a Fox News request for comment Monday. The airline issued a statement to WSOC-TV saying its policies “prohibit clothing that displays offensive statements and inappropriate language from being worn on board.”
However, the airline said it should have handled the situation differently.
“In this instance, our team should have taken the broader context of the message displayed on the customer’s shirt into consideration when explaining our policies,” American said. “Our team is reaching out to learn more about Ms. Singleton’s experience, apologize and reaffirm our support for efforts to fight cancer.”
