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Trans Woman Claims She Was Outed by Airline Employee

The incident left Lenore Herrem feeling "unsafe, vulnerable, [and] belittled," she says.

A trans woman from Canada claims she was outed as transgender to her fellow passengers aboard a WestJet Airlines flight.

Last weekend, Lenore Herrem, who was flying from Calgary to Saskatoon, went to board her flight at a WestJet gate. The agent who assisted her was "confused," though, when Herrem presented her ID, which marked her gender as male. The ID was more than five years old, Herrem told CBC News Canada.

"[The agent] got upset and said, 'They don't match,' but her colleague said, 'Yes, they do, it's fine, go ahead,'" she claimed. "So I gently and discreetly expressed to her, 'It's because I'm transgender, that's why they don't match up. But my face is the same and my ID matches the name on my boarding pass.'"

Things escalated, however, when the boarding agent followed Herrem into the plane after she was seated and once again demanded to see her ID.

"She rolled her eyes at me and said, 'Are you sure it wasn't your girl name that was on the computer?'" Herrem recalled. "She outed me in front of the whole airplane."

Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - 2015/09/26: Interior of a Westjet plane. WestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canadian low-cost carrier that provides scheduled and charter air service to 100 destinations in Canada. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The incident was harrowing for Herrem, who added that she felt "unsafe, vulnerable, [and] belittled," and that nothing like this had ever happened to her before. She said she often relies on passing as cisgender to feel safe in public spaces—and the WestJet agent "took that away" from her.

In a statement to CBC News Canada, WestJet apologized for Herrem's negative experience and explained that they are investigating the claims:

WestJet's inclusive culture is a point of pride for WestJetters and our goal has always been to create a safe and inclusive environment for all. We have extended our apologies to the guest and are reviewing the matter as we are continuously assessing and evolving our practices and policies to maximize inclusiveness and celebrate diversity.

Herrem's claims come less than a month after a gay couple was ordered to give up their seats together on an Alaska Airlines flight, causing a stir amid allegations of anti-LGBTQ discrimination being the motivating factor. Reps from Alaska Airlines have since said that the incident was due to a seating mix-up.

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