JetBlue announced this week, a series of special events and highlighted the airline’s ongoing support for various LGBTQ organizations throughout Pride Month – and throughout the year – as New York’s Hometown Airline celebrates World Pride.
“With crewmembers and customers reflecting incredible diversity, we celebrate all our differences and live JetBlue’s mission to inspire humanity as a leader in inclusion both inside and outside the company,” said Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer, JetBlue. “Every day, but especially as we celebrate World Pride in our hometown, JetBlue values the uniqueness of each and every individual – not only because it’s the right thing to do in keeping with our integrity value, but because we think it’s more fun that way, too.”
“Shantay Blue Stay” Takes Flight with RuPaul’s Drag Race Partnership
This Pride month JetBlue – the official airline of fierce – is proud to partner with VH1’s groundbreaking phenomenon RuPaul’s Drag Race by sashaying down the runway with the airline’s newly named “Shantay Blue Stay” aircraft. JetBlue crewmembers, inspired by RuPaul’s signature phrase, nominated the name as part of an aircraft naming contest. The fresh Airbus A320 aircraft (tail N794JB) not only proudly displays a fabulous new name, but also showcases JetBlue’s newest tailfin design, dubbed Spotlight, which features bright splashes of the airline’s signature bold blue and orange colors.
To kick off the partnership with RuPaul’s Drag Race and to celebrate the introduction of “Shantay Blue Stay,” JetBlue is debuting a one-of-a-kind, glittering video featuring fan-favorite queens Bob the Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel. The pair demonstrate for their lives as they highlight JetBlue customer-friendly favorites like the most legroom in coach (a), free and unlimited brand-name snacks and more! The video is available on RuPaul’s Drag Race, VH1 and JetBlue social media channels.
Additionally, during the week of June 10, RuPaul’s Drag Race celebrated Pride Month and the newly named plane with a terminal takeover at JetBlue’s T5 at New York’s JFK International Airport. This week, customers passing through T5 will see iconic photos, displays, Instagram opportunities and the fiercest RuPaul quotes in drag race HER-story. The takeover also lets travelers touch up their runway looks at a hair and makeup station and send special postcards to spread the World Pride love.
"For more than a decade, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' has celebrated inclusivity in all forms," said Amy Wigler, Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing/Branded Content, VH1. "It is VH1's goal to align the show with like-minded organizations who are also committed to bettering humanity through love and acceptance which is why we are thrilled to be partnering with JetBlue on this very special pride month initiative."
JetBlue’s “Shantay Blue Stay” aircraft will operate on a variety of routes throughout the JetBlue network in the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America, so keep your lashes on the lookout!
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative
Drag queens have played a vital role in the fight for LGBTQ equality including during the 1969 Stonewall Inn uprisings. For the third year in a row, JetBlue is a proud supporter of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI), which leverages the historic significance of the New York City LGBTQ landmark to help other communities that don’t have the same LGBTQ resources or support. JetBlue was an original SIGBI donor when the nonprofit was formed in 2017.
This year SIGBI is supporting both the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation and Project Q&A. The Tennessee Equality Project Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to serve Tennessee's statewide LGBTQ community with advocacy education and providing legislative monitoring and policy analysis. Project Q&A is an LGBTQ organization in Montgomery County, Kansas focused on raising awareness for the LGBTQ community through education, empowerment, and visibility.
"The battle that began for LGBTQ rights in 1969 at Stonewall is not over and the fight is continuing in places where equality has been slow to arrive,” said Stacy Lentz, Co-owner of the Stonewall Inn and CEO of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. “We couldn't do our much needed work without the help of incredible partners like JetBlue that make sure we have the necessary resources we need to spread the legacy of Stonewall and keep it at the forefront for the struggle for equality."
JetBlue is also calling on Stonewall Inn patrons to help celebrate for a good cause this month. On June 28 – the 50th anniversary of the historic 1969 demonstrations – JetBlue will match every dollar spent on drinks by customers at the Stonewall Inn with a donation directly to SIGBI.
The Center
JetBlue is once again a proud supporter and the official airline of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center – known locally as simply The Center. Since 1983, The Center has been supporting, fostering and celebrating the LGBT community of New York City and empowers people to lead healthy, successful lives. The Center celebrates diversity and advocates for justice and opportunity.
New York Gay Men’s Chorus
JetBlue proudly continues to support the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus (NYCGMC) for another year. Founded in 1980, NYCGMC has formed a strong bond with devoted followers and continues to make lasting connections with new and diverse audiences. NYCGMC is comprised of more than 260 talented singers of various ages, backgrounds and experiences, and is a full member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, Inc. (GALA), the world’s only association committed to serving the LGBT choral movement.
Celebrations and Support Nationwide
JetBlue’s support of the LGBT community also reaches beyond New York City. Over the years hundreds of JetBlue crewmembers and senior leaders have marched in pride celebrations across the country including in the airline’s focus cities of Boston; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Long Beach, Calif.; New York; and Orlando, Fla. JetBlue also takes part in Provincetown Carnival, Greater Palm Springs Pride and marches in Salt Lake City’s Utah Pride Parade.
Additionally, JetBlue has provided support for a variety of LGBT nonprofits across the country including Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, Lambda Legal, New York City Anti-Violence Project, NLGJA – the Association of LGBT Journalists, OutRight Action International, the Trevor Project, the Provincetown Business Guild and is a founding member of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
JetPride
JetPride became JetBlue’s first Crewmember Resource Group in 2012, welcome to all LGBT crewmembers and their allies. JetPride strives to provide mentoring to develop their career paths, support external JetBlue initiatives in the LGBT community, bring increased visibility to and perspective on LGBT workplace issues, and advocate for a continued bias-free workplace where LGBT JetBlue crewmembers can thrive.
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