Unfortunately, there have been plenty of reports of rideshare drivers discriminating against LGBTQ passengers. Some get pretty harrowing. But one couple who recently took an Uber with their young son face a whole new level of discrimination — their driver called the cops on them and accused them of child trafficking.
James Moed was visiting San Diego with his husband and infant earlier this month when the police knocked on their hotel door at 1:30am, demanding to see their IDs.
\u201cLast Wed, husband, infant son, and I were staying at @MarriottMarina. At 1:30 AM the @SanDiegoPD knocked on our door, demanding our IDs\u201d— James Moed (@James Moed) 1580876650
He shared the whole story on Twitter in a thread that honestly isn’t getting enough attention.
“It turns out the @Uber driver who had taken us to the hotel had called the cops — accusing us of… child trafficking? endangerment?” he wrote.
And apparently the driver hadn’t simply called the cops after the ride, he (or she) had also taken it upon himself to inform the dads that the baby needed his mom, which resulted in a conversation in which they literally told him they were his dads.
\u201cThe same @Uber driver who told us our crying baby needed his mother, and didn\u2019t back down when we tried to explain that our son has 2 dads.\u201d— James Moed (@James Moed) 1580876650
Moed says the situation was resolved, but it easily could have gone a lot worse.
\u201cStayed awake freaking out \u2013 what if we hadn\u2019t had his passport? ..the cops had been less agreeable? Where can my #queerfamily travel safely?\u201d— James Moed (@James Moed) 1580876650
And to absolutely no one’s surprise, Uber’s response was less than satisfactory — the couple received a $10 refund for their troubles.
\u201c@Uber Spoke to @Uber_Support. Requested apology from the driver (not his dismissal) + evidence of LGBTQ sensitivity training program. Awaiting response.\u201d— James Moed (@James Moed) 1580876650
\u201c@Uber @Uber_Support Our response: \n\nI asked you to provide: \n\n- An apology from the driver \n- Evidence that you train your drivers to be sensitive to the needs of LGBTQ families \n\nYour response provided neither of those things \n\nDo you know when I can expect those to be sent to me?\u201d— James Moed (@James Moed) 1580876650
Uber has a long history of complaints in regards to how it handles discrimination or even crimes reported by passengers, and that doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon. So instead, we’re stuck with this stark reminder about how discrimination can happen to anyone in the LGBTQ community at any time, even if you’re just trying to get to your hotel with your family in a normally queer-friendly city.
