Cal basketball coach says Southwest asked for proof biracial son was hers

[Demovictory9]

Cal women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb says she was asked to "prove" her son belonged to her before boarding a flight to Oakland on Sunday.

Gottlieb, who is white, said a Southwest Airlines employee in Denver asked for a birth certificate and later a Facebook post to prove her 1-year-old son was hers, despite Gottlieb previously providing his passport.

According to Gottlieb, the Southwest employee reportedly said her questions stemmed from the fact that Gottlieb's son, Jordan Peter Martin, has a different last name.

"My guess is because he has a different skin color," Gottlieb said in a tweet Sunday night. Her fiancé, Patrick Martin, is black.

---

In a follow-up tweet, Gottlieb wrote that the mother next to her in line said "she's never been asked for proof" despite her son's different last name.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/cal-lindsay-gottlieb-southwest-baby-airline-race-12951395.php

[bornfree17]

1. My grandkids

Needed birth certificates to travel to Florida.

[lunasun]

3. Was that after presenting thier passport?

[jberryhill]

7. Their passports don't say who their parents are

[bornfree17]

9. Sorry

Missed the passport part. I just know when they travel they have to bring birth certificates.

[lunasun]

14. Passports for children have photos and are good for only a short period needing to be renewed

frequently . You need a birth certificate and other ids to get a child under 16 passport

[kcr]

8. From where? I've never needed birth certificates to fly with my kids domestic.

Ever.

[oberliner]

16. Tip: Always Bring Your Infant's Birth Certificate on a Flight

Traveling with kids can be stressful. But, before you can even get in the air, there’s the issue of what documents you need in order to take your infant on board. Each airline’s policy on this seems to differ from the next, but generally speaking, you should always have your child’s birth certificate with you. Take, for example, this little traveler:

The mother didn’t have the child’s birth certificate with her to prove that the baby (who was clearly a newborn) was younger than two years old. So while it may seem unreasonable for the infant to need her own seat, Southwest’s terms state that the parent must provide proof of age if requested. Here’s a breakdown of what each of the major airlines requires for infant travel in order to be considered a lap baby:

https://thepointsguy.com/2017/04/tip-bring-infant-birth-certificate/

[jberryhill]

2. Um, yeah

If you are flying with children, then you should be prepared to show that you have legal authority to transport them.

[LisaM]

4. Without knowing all the details, I'm a little torn on this one.

The news has been full of stories over the last few days of ICE "losing" at least 1500 children who were separated from their families, which might put anyone who pays attention to the news on alert to be careful.

[jberryhill]

5. Torn in what way?

When I took vacations with my sons, as a divorced father, I made sure I had all of their paperwork with me and a signed consent form by their mother - and we all have the same last name.

It's common sense. If you are traveling with kids, same last name or not, you get certified copies and keep their documents with you.

[LisaM]

15. I'd like to think that she didn't encounter racism, but

Last edited Thu Jun 21, 2018, 02:14 PM - Edit history (1)

if she did, I don't want to overlook it.

[jberryhill]

18. Check this out

https://www.rocketlawyer.com/blog/travel-kids-dont-share-last-name-924312

[jberryhill]

34. Just out of curiosity

In light of recent events, how would you feel about airlines enforcing a policy under which children are not allowed to board absent (a) compliance with the various unaccompanied minor rules which require parent/guardian authorization, or (b) proof of parental authorization (or parental status) by the adult accompanying them.

Had such policies been in place, then DHS would not have been able to use commercial airlines to transport the kidnapped migrant children.

[LisaM]

35. Yes, good point.

That's why I was hesitant to take sides without seeing a larger picture.

[LanternWaste]

6. "Just doing my job" covers all manner of sins and bigotries.

It's fun to pretend that policies and procedures are never used as cover in regards to social concerns. "Just doing my job" covers all manner of sins and bigotries.

Wish the airlines had demanded proof from me when I took my nephews to Maine for a week. Alas, they simply ignored me.

[jberryhill]

10. And it catches a few...

http://wjla.com/news/local/united-airlines-plane-returns-to-dulles-airport-over-child-custody-investigation-106789


CHANTILLY, Va. (AP/WJLA) - A Fairfax woman has been charged with international kidnapping after authorities forced a Beijing, China-bound flight she boarded with her 4-year-old son to return to Dulles International Airport.

An affidavit filed Friday in federal court in Alexandria alleged that Wenjing "Linda" Liu and her son boarded the flight despite a court order barring her from taking the boy out of the country without her ex-husband's permission.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/us-canada-news/Indian-origin-woman-arrested-at-airport-after-returning-to-US-with-kidnapped-son/articleshow/38311985.cms

NEW YORK: A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was arrested at an airport in the US for abducting her son and taking him to India nearly eight years ago.
The mother, Padmashini Devi Drees, 38, was arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Her son Drew Dees, now 10, has been reunited with his father Dean Drees, the McKinney Courier-Gazette reported.

--------------

I've traveled with children on domestic and international flights, and regularly had their papers looked at to get some sort of confidence level that I was, in fact, their father.

[Sailor65x1]

13. Beat me to it

And absolutely correct.

[Ms. Toad]

20. My spouse - not our daughter's legal parent at the time

never had papers with her.

We are a same gender couple - and the "proud" owners the only appellate case in our state - denying adoption to a same gender second parent.

The only time we were ever required to provide proof was when she was 10-ish, I was sent out of town by my law firm at the last minute, and my spouse needed to drop our daughter off at sick child care (in the local children's hospital). They required a notarized statement from me to be permitted to drop her off (despite having dealt with us enough to recognize us on sight, and despite the fact that I would be the one to pick her up at the end of the day - so they were only accepting, not releasing, to a not-legally-recognized parent).

Our experience includes - at a minimum - travel (lots), school, health care, and child care.

(Child care was a tad amusing, though. When we initially signed her up, we had to prove there was no father involved. . . . do you need a statement from the doctor who did the donor insemination???)

[lostnfound]

21. Papers please

We sure have given up a lot.
If you travel over land, by horse or by car, do you need any such thing? No.
Domestic air travel is different...?

[jberryhill]

22. Yes, it is different

It allows persons who abduct children to go very far, very fast, beyond local "Amber Alerts" like this one in the Denver area:

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/18/missing-colorado-springs-toddler-found/

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A 2-year-old boy who was found early Sunday morning following a statewide search prompted by an Amber Alert has died, a family member confirmed with Denver7.

[uponit7771]

27. This is false

[jberryhill]

28. I'll take the word of another lawyer over an anonymous forum poster

https://www.rocketlawyer.com/blog/travel-kids-dont-share-last-name-924312

The TSA does not require minors under the age of 18 to show ID when traveling with an adult companion within the United States, but some airlines do. So before you get to the airport, be sure to check with your airline about ID requirements for minors—especially if your child will be traveling alone. A copy of your child’s birth certificate does triple-duty as proof of age, ID, and as proof that you are the child’s parent, especially if you don’t share a last name.

--

Is your assertion based on your encyclopedic knowledge of every US airline's policy?

The most common scenario for an airline to request a birth certificate is that passengers are attempting to circumvent the age limit on carrying children on their lap, and will try to pass off children older than two as being two or under.

[uponit7771]

29. "The TSA does not require minors under the age of 18 to show ID" ... me and your source

... agree.

So there's only a requirement by the airlines not a state mandated requirment

So did she show documentation to the airlines?

Why yes she did

Gottlieb, who is white, said a Southwest Airlines employee in Denver asked for a birth certificate and later a Facebook post to prove her 1-year-old son was hers, despite Gottlieb previously providing his passport

The passport should have ended it but it didn't, the rest of it sounds like going too far because the child was a different skin color.

So she already supplied documentation, it didn't work with the crew on duty

[jberryhill]

31. The passport does not identify her as a parent

I'm sorry that you feel that people should simply be able to grab kids and fly away with them.

[uponit7771]

32. Great, the OTHER parent that was there should have though right?

"We had a passport that verified our son's age and identity, and both parents were present," Gottlieb said in a statement. "But still being pushed further to 'prove' that he was my son felt disrespectful and motivated by more than just concern for his well-being."

Also,

Lets say if only ONE parent was present for boarding and it was not the sir name parent.

What is the boarding parent to do if the crew doesn't believe the boarding parent ... WITH ... documentation like in this situation?

The issue here is SWA doesn't have a protocol for a crews disbelief and they apologized for that in the article.

Corps should understand these choices shouldn't be left up to humans because as a being we have too many bias's.

[Solly Mack]

11. Growing up, there were people who asked if our mom was really our mom.

My mom used to put her arm next to my arm and say "Look at my little white baby". That was something between us and she didn't mean anything by it. Just a fact. She was darker than we would ever be.

But the people wondering if my mom was my mom?

Ignorance and prejudice leading to unrestrained rudeness.

[kcr]

12. This is a domestic flight. Her child shouldn't have even needed ID.

Contrary to what some people are claiming in this thread, it isn't needed for children under 18 when they're flying domestically with a parent.

[jberryhill]

17. Bullshit

TSA doesn’t require it. Airlines have various policies.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/domestic-travel-documents-needed-adults-children-61064.html

https://www.rocketlawyer.com/blog/travel-kids-dont-share-last-name-924312

Additionally, some people exceed the age limit on lap children (usually less than two years old) and airlines will require proof of age.

[Sailor65x1]

19. Good

As an astute poster noted downthread, no parent should ever travel with a small child and not be prepared to demonstrate that they should be. Especially a child that can't speak for himself.

All this woman endured was a slight inconvenience. That's all. Heck, Canada usually won't even let you in the country without such proof (Yes, I know this was a domestic flight).

Too many times, completely avoidable abductions occur because people are too shy to ask the questions. This "Mother" should be glad someone is looking out for her little one this way.

And while it might not be a popular opinion on DU, different skin AND a different name should be enough to double check a parent transporting a child.

[melm00se]

23. Damned if you do

damned if you don't.

Imagine the backlash against Southwest and gate agent if this had been a child abduction and they had allowed the woman and child onto a flight.

[spinbaby]

24. BullS##!

My grandson is autistic and, despite being a tall five-year-old, doesn’t speak.

I travel with him on Southwest. I’m obviously too old to be his mother.

His mother travels with him on Southwest. She has a different last name than her son.

No one has ever questioned that he belongs to us. We are white.

[ck4829]

25. Kick

[left-of-center2012]

26. I suspect ...

I suspect no matter who you are,
if you are traveling with a child who has a different name,
it will raise some questions.

Shouldn't the bottom line be to protect children?

[uponit7771]

30. She showed passport already but didn't help. Doesn't look like SWA has a protocol for

... a child with different skin colors.

[MicaelS]

33. Better safe than sorry.

I do not fault the airline here.