On Monday night the UC Berkley’s women’s basketball coach was allegedly questioned before boarding a plane in Denver with her son.
Lindsay Gottlieb, the University of Berkley California’s women’s basketball coach, was allegedly asked to prove she was the mother of her one year old biracial son by the Southwest ticket desk personnel.
“I’m appalled that after approx 50 times flying with my 1-year-old son[,] ticket counter personnel told me that I had to ‘prove’ that he was my son despite having his passport,” Gottlieb, who is white, wrote on Twitter, according to KPIX. “She said we have a different last name. My guess is because he has a different skin color.”
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Allegedly Gottlieb was not only asked for a birth certificate, she was also asked for a Facebook post to prove she gave birth to one year old Jordan Peter Martin. Martin was welcomed by Gottlieb and her fiance, Patrick Martin, last May.
This family is on a holiday weekend adventure to support @Kenzie4bs at @usabasketball U18 trials. 💙💛🐻 pic.twitter.com/cbAcRdKyhJ
— Lindsay Gottlieb (@CalCoachG) May 26, 2018
Allegedly the ticket counter personnel asked for the proof because Gottlieb and her son have different last names. The personnel allegedly asked for the birth certificate as a matter of federal law. There is no legal requirement for airlines to ask for the last name of a child to be matched to their guardian when traveling domestically.
@SouthwestAir I’m appalled that after approx 50 times flying with my 1 year old son, ticket counter personnel told me I had to “prove” that he was my son, despite having his passport. She said because we have different last name. My guess is because he has a different skin color.
— Lindsay Gottlieb (@CalCoachG) May 28, 2018
Gottlieb doesn’t believe that the encounter had to do with the different last names.
@SouthwestAir she 1st asked for proof with birth certificate. She then said it’s a “federal law” (not true) but asked me to prove I’m mother with Facebook post.What??Mother next to me said she’s never been asked for proof despite diff last name..not shockingly, not mixed face fam
— Lindsay Gottlieb (@CalCoachG) May 28, 2018
Gottlieb said “the mother next to me said she’s never been asked for proof” when traveling with a child with a different last name.
Gottlieb tweeted “Not shockingly, not mixed-race family,” she added of the mother she spoke with.
According to Fox News, Southwest reached out to Gottlieb to address the situation.
“We’re looking into this specific interaction, and we have engaged with the Customer directly to address her concerns,” the airline wrote. “Our Employees are well regarded for their Hospitality and we always strive for the best experience for anyone who entrusts us with their travel.”
“I do feel like as a white female, with a position of privilege, and a platform where someone is going to listen, it is my responsibility to say, hey, this happened, this isn’t okay,” Gottlieb said in an interview with KPIX 5. “And maybe somewhere down the line, that helps my son, who is biracial and will be for his entire life.”
Chrissy Teigen, who is the mother of two biracial children with John Legend, recently tweeted “airlines have asked this of me, too, with my daughter. Once I learned it’s a precaution for the very real threat of child trafficking, I stopped being exasperated with it. Now I’m kind of worried when they don’t ask.”
airlines have asked this of me, too, with my daughter. once I learned it's a precaution for the very real threat of child trafficking, I stopped being exasperated with it. Now I'm kind of worried when they don't ask.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 29, 2018
