Arts & Entertainment
Actress AnnaLynne McCord blasts Southwest Airlines for discriminating against gay couple
the star penned an open letter to the company
“90210” star AnnaLynne McCord is calling out Southwest Airlines for not allowing a gay couple and their two daughters to board during the flight’s “family boarding time” because they “didn’t count as family.”
“Have you ever felt bullied? Have you ever picked on?… A couple of days ago, the young girls in this photo were made to feel just that by individuals who wear your logo and represent their company,” McCord begins.
The actress notes the flight was the family’s first ever flight and they were denied boarding with the other families.
“Why would your company representatives believe that it is okay to reject these little girls’ love for their fathers, making them feel that they are not good enough? Is that not a form of bullying?” she writes. “I implore you, as a company that seeks to provide a happy experience for all of its customers, to hire individuals who despise hate, not love; who embrace difference, not look down on it.”
The family was eventually allowed to board and McCord shared a photo of the family sitting in their seats.
Jacob Lapp appeared to confirm the mistreatment tweeting, “Two small girls in tow. We were flying from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale and were denied family boarding because we are two men with two kids.”
Two small girls in tow. We were flying from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale and were denied family boarding because we are two men with two kids
— Jacob Lapp (@Jakelapp13) August 22, 2017
Southwest Airlines told the New York Daily News they didn’t receive any complaints on the flight and did not hear from the couple or McCord. However, an internal investigation is being conducted.
“Our employees work to carry out our boarding policy for families traveling together, while also maintain boarding priorities for all customers,” the company said in a statement. “We welcome onboard more than 115 million customers each year and Southwest neither condones nor tolerates discrimination of any kind… We regret any less than positive travel experience.”
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(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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