Alaska Airlines Offer Gay Pride Discount, Wingnuts Predictably Scream Favoritism

From Alaska Airlines:

At Alaska, we have been longtime supporters of the LGBT community and remain committed to a more equitable society. We were elated when the State of Washington expressed the same commitment by legalizing marriage for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. To show our continued support we are encouraging the LGBT community to travel, not only to Seattle, but to Pride events and gay friendly destinations all over the country. With that aim, we have put together this section of our site to highlight destinations that support marriage equality, Pride celebrations, and other things of interest to the LGBT community. Make sure to check out our flight deals for low fares to your favorite cities and take a look at our group rates when planning special events, from birthdays to weddings.

Making the rounds in Teabagistan:

The establishment campaign to promote disease-spreading and culture-corroding perversity has reached the point that Alaska Airlines now implies discounts for homosexuals. How applying cultural Marxism with special “Pride Discounts” for groups favored by liberals will make for a more “equitable society” is left for college professors to explain. It’s their airline; to the extent the government leaves them alone, they are free to push whatever agenda they want, just as we are free to take any other transportation we can find including dog sleds rather than fly Alaska Airlines. But imagine how fast Big Government would come down on them if their advertisements led people to believe they could get a discount for being sexually healthy.

Airlines routinely offer promotions for special events and nothing at their site indicates that the discount is limited to gay people. But...but... outrage!

No More Prayer Cards On Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines is ending its 30-year practice of placing prayer cards on passengers' meal trays.

"This difficult decision was not made lightly," Alaska Air Group CEO Bill Ayer and Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden wrote in an email Wednesday to regular customers. "Some of you enjoy the cards and associate them with our service," they wrote. "At the same time, we've heard from many of you who believe religion is inappropriate on an airplane." Alaska started giving passengers prayer cards in the late 1970s. Many people assumed the idea came from former CEO Bruce Kennedy, who did missionary work after leaving Alaska Airlines, but it was actually a marketing executive who brought the idea over from Continental Airlines.

The airline insists that their recent partnership agreement with Emirates Airlines has nothing to do with ending prayer cards.

Palin's Church Endorses Ex-Gay Conference, PGLAG To Protest

Sarah Palin's church has endorsed an "ex-gay" conference to take place in Anchorage this weekend and PFLAG plans to be there to protest and to demand that Palin reject the "ex-gay" movement.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) today condemned a so-called "ex-gay" conference scheduled for Saturday in Anchorage. Love Won Out, which claims to "cure" lesbian and gay people through prayer and spiritual guidance, has been cited as a harmful practice with long-term consequences for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth who are often forced to attend, against their will, by parents struggling to deal with a child's sexual orientation. PFLAG families and supporters will gather outside the conference on Saturday to offer support for youth attending and information for parents and families.

"Families never win at Love Won Out," said Jane Schlittler, president of PFLAG's Anchorage, Alaska chapter. "The conference's organizers maliciously target often well-meaning parents who are dealing with a difficult issue in their lives, and in the process put their kids' well-being at risk. Make no mistake: There is far more 'preying' than 'praying' taking place at these meetings, and far more harming than healing in the doctrine of Love Won Out."

[SNIP]

Saturday's event in Anchorage has sparked widespread attention and protest following reports that Wasilla Bible Church, where Republican Vice Presidential nominee Governor Sarah Palin is a member, has endorsed the Love Won Out conference.

In a statement, PFLAG noted that, "It is unfair, at this point, to assume that Governor Palin endorses so-called 'ex-gay' therapy like that espoused by Love Won Out," but that "Saturday's event in Anchorage provides an important opportunity for the first GOP mom on the party's presidential ticket to make clear that she, as a mother and a public servant, will not condone, either explicitly or implicitly, such attempts at dividing our families and hurting our kids."

"Palin, and lawmakers of both parties, should seize that opportunity," the group said, "and stand up as boldly and outspokenly for all of our kids as much as they do for their own."

Palin's church and its ilk want to brainwash us in the blood of Jeebus. They want to turn every one of us into tongue-speaking, snake-handling, I-saw-Jeebus-in-my-taco, Christer copies of themselves.

It continues to blow my mind how any self-respecting gay person can continue to so stridently support the people who work every day towards their demise (and we've got plenty of them here on JMG). "My life is not my sexuality. I am not a one-issue voter." Blows. My. Fucking. Mind.

Wingnut Dumbassery, Vol. 23,987

Idaho JMG reader Allen sends us this bit of nonsense from Boise, in which the Idaho chapter of the American Family Association accuses Alaska Airlines of adding a "surcharge for being sexually normal" because their micro-site for LGBT travelers offers a 10% discount on flights to Puerto Vallarta and New York City. "If you’re an ordinary heterosexual, once again be prepared to pay what amounts to a 10% surcharge for being sexually straight."

Hilarious. Of course, every major airline has many micro-sites that offer discounts to various segments of the travel market. And who says you have to actually be a pole-smoker to book on Alaska Airlines LGBT micro-site? It's not like you'll have to prove it on the plane. Although many of you wouldn't mind, I'm sure.