Henry Amador-Batten and his son Ben were travelling from Puerto Rico to their home in North Carolina, USA recently when Henry was detained by United Airlines. His crime? His hand was draped over Ben's lap as he slept.
That's it.
Henry's husband – and Ben's other dad – Joel shared their experience on Henry's Facebook page Dadsquared.
"Two nights ago my husband was detained after disembarking a United flight to RDU because a member of the flight crew made an accusation that my husband's hand/arm laying across my sleeping son's lap was too close to the child's genitals," he wrote.
Joel went on to say Henry was "made to feel like a criminal" in front of other passengers and his son, and was detained for about an hour while being questioned by United staff.
This has made me think about how often my hands are "close" to my children's genitals. Pretty much every time we cuddle or hang out on the couch together is the answer. And on a plane? That's a seriously confined space, I'm pretty sure my hands are "close" to complete strangers' genitals half the time.
But I'm a straight woman, so I don't rate so much as a sideways glance.
Since Joel shared the story and it was shared hundreds of times, United Airlines has issued an apology to Henry. A spokesperson told the News & Observer , "Our customers should always be treated with the utmost respect. We have followed up with the customer directly and we apologised for the situation."
But Joel says this accusation has the potential to cause lasting damage. "My husband and I are parents. We are foster parents. We are in the process of adopting our second son," he explained. "This misguided man's assumptions about my husband and the accusations that he made are completely unfounded."
The family has hired a lawyer and is planning on seeking damages from United over the incident.