issue 18 / volume 40

Mile-high mischief

» Passengers on Air Canada flight arrested for in-flight sex

   
  
 

«ie... Patrick Vailancourt
b= 3. News Editor

4 Minews

 

: “mile-high club.” This type of
activity is widely-regarded as

: one of the more popular sexual
: fantasies of both men and

: women, and its achievement

: is often memorable due to the

@theotherpress.ca
38-year-old man and
4-year-old woman from

from the maritimes are under
investigation for allegedly
engaging in sexual activity
on an Air Canada flight from
Toronto to Halifax on January
24.

The two individuals
were approached by RCMP
officers after landing at Halifax
Stanfield International Airport.
The woman, who has yet to be
identified, was also charged
with causing a disturbance and
assaulting an officer as officers
approached her for questioning
related to the in-flight incident.

Those who engage in sexual :
activity while in-flight are often
referred to as members of the

: risqué nature of the act.

Airline staff, in particular

: flight attendants and pilots,

: however, don’t understand why
: this behaviour is so prominent

: in the minds of some more

: sexually insatiable air travellers.

Elisa Choi, an Alberta-

: based flight attendant with

: WestJet, told the Other Press

: that, while this is not an issue

: that comes up often, sex in an

: airplane should be regarded in
: the same light as sex ina public
: place.

“It’s no different than

: having sex in a restaurant,” said
: Choi. “You can’t have sex in a

restaurant without being told

: to stop.”

In-flight sex is considered to :
:; bean act of indecent exposure.

Choi also highlights

: that there are sanitary

: considerations that must be
: factored in.

“My first thought is ‘ewww’” !
: said Choi. “Airplane [lavatories]
: are much too small and dirty to
: be doing that in there”

99

Choi notes that the in-

: flight sex fantasy, at least in

: her opinion, is not something
: airline employees think about
: because it is their workplace.

Choi admits to not having

: experienced this issue in her
: career, but knows of stories

: from colleagues and friends.
: When asked what she would
: do if faced with a couple of

: passengers caught in the act,
: she stated that every action has :
: its consequences. :

“Td just tell them that it’s

: not appropriate. We would

Jers Vision sets sights on Russia

Kyle Darbison,
The Fulcrum

OTTAWA (CUP) — Jer’s
Vision, an Ottawa-based
youth initiative and non-profit
organization, is spearheading
an awareness campaign in
January and February aimed
at highlighting the recent
signing of an anti-gay law in
Russia, which criminalizes the
promotion of “non-traditional
sexual relations” to minors.
The movement, referred to
as the “Open the Door to LGBT
Rights in Russia” campaign,
coincides with the beginning
of the 2014 Olympic Winter
Games in Sochi, Russia, which

will run Feb. 6-23. Jeremy
Dias, a University of Ottawa
graduate and founder of Jer’s
Vision, said the overlapping
timeframe is intentional and
the organization is using the
games as a platform to discuss
institutionalized homophobia
in Russia.

“This issue is really
poignant because it’s the first
time, or one of the first times,
in contemporary society that
we are seeing rights moving
backwards, and I think it’s
important to recognize that,”
he said.

Through consultation
with groups of LGBT Russians,
Sochi 2014 Olympians and
community activists, Jer’s

Vision was able to help
produce a promotional toolkit
that is available to supporters
through its website. Aside
from containing promotional
materials such as buttons
and door posters, the toolkit
includes a set of instructions
on how people can help
eliminate homophobia in
Russia.

In addition to sharing the
campaign via social media and
talking to your local politician,
Jer’s Vision also advises to
help out by writing letters to
Russian president Vladimir
Putin.

“It’s not overwhelming, it’s
not complicated, and I think
that’s part of the genius of the

news // 5

 

By www.whybecausescience. files. wordpress.com

consider it an unruly act and

; there are consequences to that.
> It’s not worth it,” said Choi.

‘Td also apologize for

busting their fantasy,” said Choi
: with a laugh. :

A spokesperson from

? NAV Canada, Canada’s air-

: traffic control authority and

: training school, who requested
: anonymity, told the Other Press :
: by phone that thereare other:
: concerns with these kinds of
behaviours.

“It’s dealing with people,”

: the spokesperson said. “Much
: of the time, it’s pretty straight
: forward, but from time to time
: these types of incidents lead

: toarguments, fights, and the

: endangerment of the entire

: flight.”

The source noted an

: example from years ago in
: which a flight in the United
: States had to makea premature :

campaign,” Dias said. “This is
one of those times where what
you do can make a difference.”

In addition to the toolkit,
Jer’s Vision is collaborating
with organizations like the
Ottawa International Sexual
Orientation Gender Identities
(SOGI) Rights Network to set
up events designed to open
up frank dialogue about the
Russian law, what it could
mean for the Sochi Games and
Russian LGBT communities in
the future.

“Ottawa is a fairly quiet,
conservative town when it
comes to political action,”
said Bruce Miller, one of
the founding members of
the Ottawa International

Those who
engage in sexual
activity while
in-flight are
often referred to
as members of
the “mile-high
club.”

: emergency landing due to

: a heated marital conflict, in

: which a man caught his wife

: in the airplane’s lavatory with

> another man.

: “Never mind that it’s

: disgusting. When you're at

: 40,000-feet, any little argument
: at all could endanger the lives

: of all passengers,” said the NAV
: Canada spokesperson.

SOGI Rights Network.
“Getting people to come out
to something that is about
politics, discuss the issues and
be aware of it—that would be
great.”

Dias said Jer’s Vision
is choosing to take a
stand against Russia’s gay
propaganda law without
advocating a boycott of the
upcoming Olympics.

“People are being
discriminated against in
ways that we, as Canadians,
can't imagine,” he said. “As
an LGBTQ organization, we
really hope that we can engage
the general public in raising
awareness.”