Southwest Airlines rejected a Washington woman off a flight in Reno after passengers complained about a message on her T-shirt. The T-shirt had pictures of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a phrase similar to the popular film, Meet the Fockers. The women said the T-shirt as a gag for her Democrats parents to see when they picked her in Portland, Oregon. Southwest Airlines spokesperson said the passenger complaints did not follow the rules on passenger conduct filed with the FAA.  This includes conduct which is offensive, abusive, disorderly or violent or for clothing that is "lewd, obscene, or patently offensive." A lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union in Nevada said Heasley's T-shirt is "protected" political speech under the Constitution, reported the Reno Gazette-Journal.  Additionally, an FAA spokesman said no federal rules exist on the subject. The women intend to file a civil-rights case against Southwest Airlines.

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USER COMMENTS

Rachael J 19 November 2005, 21:11:42 GMT I was threatend to be removed from the plane because I have cleavage showing? I want to know who I should write to about this. My dad and I were going to TN on Southwest Airlines out of phx. When a woman came up to my father and I and said "I don't know where you guys are going but this is a family airline and you need to cover up or else I will have to remove u from the plane." It's just cleavage! And nothing more was showing. So I put a jacket on and I got on the plane and sat by the window where literally no one could even see me and I took the jacket off and then the woman followed me onto the plane and saidsomeone complained about my shirt again and that she didn't want to tell me over and over again or else I would have to get off the plane. Who can I write to about this? I'm sure they are not allowed to do that, are they?