Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Gay United Airlines pilots on their careers, life outside of work
by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times
2015-06-24

This article shared 14869 times since Wed Jun 24, 2015
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Chicago-based United Airlines has had an LGBT-inclusive workplace for many years, earning a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's ( HRC's ) Corporate Equality Index for four consecutive years, and that extends to its internal and external initiatives including the company's various Pride Month activities this year at five of the airline's hub markets—Chicago, Denver, Houston, New York City and San Francisco.

"I'm honored to join my co-workers here in Chicago and worldwide in celebration of Pride Month, and proud of all the diverse and talented employees who make United such a great place to work," said Gavin Molloy, president of United's LGBT business-resource group, EQUAL. "At United, we are committed to reflecting the diverse customers we serve, and have long supported programs and activities that promote LGBT awareness and equality. We are proud of our inclusive culture—one where every employee is accepted, valued, respected and treated fairly."

Among United's out employees are gay B757/767 Captain Marc Champion, based out of Denver, and lesbian Airbus First Officer Kathy Dulson, based out of Los Angeles. Both are members of EQUAL.

Champion has also participated in United's Denver Pride events over the years and has spoken to other employee groups about being gay in the workplace, while Dulson is a longtime member of the National Gay Pilots Association. She has also been a member of Women in Aviation for many years.

"I'm discovering that there are many more LGBT pilots out there than one might assume. I've never been one to offer much about my personal life at work, but after being pressed by others a few times, I came to realize that any fears I had about being ostracized were unfounded and over time I became more comfortable with answering person questions," said Champion. "Unfortunately, we seldom spend more than a few days with any one pilot in the cockpit and you often don't get a chance to discuss much more than the business of flying the airplane. As a manager with United, I believe that my being gay sometimes gives others a sense of trust in me they may not have had otherwise."

"I try to be myself at work," said Dulson. "I find the vast majority of pilots are comfortable talking to me about myself and my family. If not, at least I'm making others aware that there are LGBT pilots and hopefully the more of us they meet, the more comfortable they will get and every time I come out to a co-worker, I hope to gain growing acceptance for our community."

Both Champion and Dulson's fascination with and love of airplanes began at an early age. Champion noted that he traveled in and between Europe and the United States from the time he was a baby. When Champion was five or six he saw an airline pilot standing in the aisle in his uniform for the first time and at that moment he knew this would be his career. Dulson explained that she spent her summer days on the softball field watching planes fly overhead in and out of O'Hare. When she was 12, she took her first flight from Midway Airport to Akron, Ohio; from then on, she knew she wanted to spend her career in the sky.

Whereas Dulson stayed rooted in the Chicago area for most of her life—including her early years in the suburb of Winfield and 10 years on Chicago's North Side—Champion spent his early life on the move. He was born in New Jersey and spent most of his early years in Brussels, Belgium, before moving to Colorado when he was 12. Champion has a degree in aviation technology from Denver's Metropolitan State University while Dulson has a degree in aviation management from Southern Illinois University.

Champion began his career as a flight instructor and moved on to a small commuter airline followed by a three year period flying small corporate jets. Since the age of 23, he has worked at United in both cockpit and management positions.

"I have a unique job at the moment. I spend half the year as a line pilot on the Boeing 757/767 and alternating months as a Check Airman in our flight simulators at the United Flight Training Center in Denver," said Champion. "There, I teach and evaluate other United pilots as they come through recurrent training every year. It's a great mix of work that allows me to do the flying I love most and spend time sharing the benefit of my experience with other pilots."

Champion lives with Patrick, his partner of 27 years, in Colorado and they recently bought a townhome in Palm Springs, California.

"We enjoy tinkering with our homes," said Champion. "Most of all, we enjoy the company of our friends whether dining, hiking, skiing or traveling." Champion also spends part of his free time at a Crossfit gym.

Dulson has been working in the airline industry for 26 years, starting as a customer service and operations agent at O'Hare. While at O'Hare, Dulson started taking flying lessons and became a flight instructor at DuPage Airport. Her first airline pilot job was flying a Saab 340—a small turboprop aircraft—for a regional airline out of Midway to several small cities around the Midwest. She also worked for a regional carrier as a pilot flying a Bombardier Canadian Regional Jet. Just over a year ago, Dulson was hired by United. She flies all over the United States, Canada and Mexico, and is looking forward to flying a wide body aircraft in the future so she can fly all over the world.

"Since I'm relatively new at United, I don't have as much seniority as far as choosing my schedule," said Dulson. "I have a reserve schedule which means I have 12 set days off during the month and the other days I'm on call. I usually know my schedule the day prior to when I'm on call which works out well. It can be fun not knowing what city you may be visiting within the next 24 hours. My trip assignments are usually one to four days in length and I may fly up to three flights each day."

Dulson left Chicago seven years ago for California after meeting her wife of two years, Leslie, on a cruise. They have a dog named Kia and spend their free time traveling, stand-up paddling, camping, biking, hiking and doing other outdoor activities.

"I still have family and friends in Chicago and love visiting whenever I can," said Dulson.

"The airlines of the world need a lot of new pilots in the next 20 years and airline cockpits are becoming more and more culturally diverse," said Champion. "If you want to fly airplanes for a living, being LGBT isn't a hurdle for you, especially at an airline like United. If you just simply fly United as a customer, I say thank you for enabling me to do what I love."

"The LGBT community has come a long way, but we still have a ways to go," said Dulson. "When I first started flying, I was not out at work. Now I feel comfortable being myself. As a society we have progressed. The world is changing. I feel if we are true to ourselves, others will be respectful and treat us equally as well."

See www.united.com/web/en-US/content/company/globalcitizenship/diversity-initiatives.aspx for more information.


This article shared 14869 times since Wed Jun 24, 2015
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

After 30 Under 30: MAP Executive Director Naomi Goldberg 2024-03-25
- NOTE: In this series, Windy City Times will profile some of its past 30 Under 30 honorees. Windy City Times started its 30 Under 30 Awards in 2001, presenting them each year through 2019. This year, ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

MOVIES Director Daniel Peddle on the sequel to the classic doc 'The Aggressives' 2023-12-05
- In 2005, Daniel Peddle released The Aggressives—a groundbreaking documentary filmed during the late '90s and early '00s in New York City that profiled several masculine-presenting/transmasculine people of color. Fast-forward to ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ 'Black Adam,' Cyndi Lauper, Sondheim, Oscars, OutFest 2023-03-18
- Cultured Magazine recently profiled Quintessa Swindell—who became the first out, non-binary actor to play a lead superhero in the DC universe when they portrayed Cyclone in the 2022 movie Black Adam. Swindell grew up in Virginia ...


Gay News

Show about trans+ women models to debut Aug. 5 on Here TV 2022-07-29
- The Here TV docuseries Road to the Runway—which focuses on trans+ women models—will debut Friday, Aug. 5. The series profiles the 20 hopefuls competing in this year's annual Slay Model search. Cameras follow the women to ...


Gay News

Local writer from Hillman Grad Productions Mentorship Lab to tell stories about immigrant experiences 2022-06-04
- Growing up on the South Side of Chicago without any sort of U.S. citizenship, Ruben Mendive said he started developing his identity as a writer while he was sitting in front of the TV, devouring "every show that came out ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Writer, attorney, activist Takeia R. Johnson 2021-07-25
- The local organization Affinity Community Services announced the recent passing of Takeia R. Johnson. According to Johnson's LinkedIn profile, she was editor-in-chief and lead writer at Inclusion at Work as well as a Ph.D. student focusing ...


Gay News

SAVOR Talking with new Travelle Chef de Cuisine Qi Ai; Profile of Travelle's breakfast 2021-06-09
- Travelle Chef de Cuisine Qi Ai Travelle at the Langham (330 N Wabash Ave.; https://www.travellechicago.com/) has undergone a major change during the COVID pandemic: New Chef de Cuisine Qi (pronounced "tee") Ai was promoted from sous ...


Gay News

MOVIES Dutch journalist talks about making 'My Friend, the Mayor' 2021-02-17
- In the Amazon Prime Video documentary My Friend, the Mayor: Small-town Democracy in the Age of Trump, Dutch journalist Max Westerman profiles friend Sean Strub, an openly gay activist, activist, long-term AIDS survivor and POZ magazine ...


Gay News

Booksellers launch "Boxed Out" campaign, a look at consumer choices 2020-10-22
--From a press release - (New York, New York) 20% of independent bookstores across the country are in danger of closing. Today, theAmerican Booksellers Association launched the "Boxed Out" campaign to draw attention to the high stakes indie bookstores face this ...


Gay News

Author/academic John D'Emilio on new book, future endeavors 2020-10-01
- Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago's LGBTQ Archives is a new book by Gerber/Hart Library and Archives President and University of Illinois at Chicago History and Women's and Gender Studies Professor Emeritus John ...


Gay News

Out Illinois State coach dives into new position 2020-09-16
- Logan Pearsall, an accomplished college diver who has since transitioned into master's level diving, was competing at the 2017 FINA World Masters Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He was doing a challenging inward dive from a one-meter ...


Gay News

Joseph Baar Topinka preserves legacy of mother: Pro-gay Republican Judy 2020-09-02
- Riverside resident Joseph Baar Topinka is still impressed with the resolve and stamina with which his late mother, longtime GOP politician Judy Baar Topinka, was able to "slug it out" in the political arena. "She got ...


Gay News

'Making Sweet Tea': Out NU dean talks about new documentary 2020-08-18
- Performer and Northwestern University Dean E. Patrick Johnson discussed his new film and the importance of reclaiming storytelling agency in a virtual Q&A Lambda Legal hosted Aug. 9. Johnson, dean of Northwestern University's School of Communication, ...


Gay News

Asha Ransby-Sporn talks building on the anti-racism movement's legacy 2020-08-05
- With anti-racism protests happening around the United States, in what some media outlets are saying is the largest movement in this country's history, demands to abolish the police have increasingly been a part of the rallying ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.