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Former flight attendant sues Delta Airlines after being fired for posting cartoon of Trump wearing KKK hood

The cartoon shared by Leondra Taylor was created by editorial cartoonist Aislin and published by the Montreal Gazette on October 1, 2020

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: A former Delta Airlines flight attendant, who is Black, has sued the airline stating she was fired for posting a cartoon depicting former US President Donald Trump in a Ku Klux Klan hood on her Facebook.

Leondra Taylor, who is African American, mentioned in the federal discrimination lawsuit that she was fired in April 2021 as Delta Airlines found the post shared by her “racially motivated” and a breach of the organization's social media policy. She also alleged that her firing is a violation of her human rights and accused the airline of unlawfully retaliating, according to court documents seen by Insider.

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Taylor has admitted to posting the cartoon on her Facebook wall in September 2020 capturing then US president Donald Trump and then US vice president Joe Biden during one of their presidential debates, 2020. According to the lawsuit filed on Monday, August 7, in Georgia federal district court in Atlanta, the cartoon posted by Taylor portrays Trump wearing KKK hood as he stands at the podium across from Biden. The image also included a text which reads "Thank you, Mr President, for wearing your mask."

The cartoon was created by editorial cartoonist Aislin and published by the Montreal Gazette on October 1, 2020, days after the first 2020 general election presidential debate moderated by Chris Wallace. The post by Taylor caught Delta’s attention while reviewing her Facebook profile after she took a stand for another flight attendant who was fired for breaching the company’s social media policies. In January 2021, a group of Delta employees told Taylor her posts were unacceptable and said it did not "tolerate, disrespectful, hateful or discriminatory posts," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit further reads Taylor’s employment was suspended by Delta stating that her "Political posts were racially motivated." The organization argues the cartoon showing Trump in the mask "simultaneously made a statement about Trump's denial of the need for Covid protective measures, and that racial discrimination against African Americans was a systemic issue starting at the top, with the then president."

Taylor is suing Delta Airlines for mental and emotional suffering, and punitive damages for what the lawsuit calls the "defendant's willful, malicious, intentional, and deliberate acts and lost wages.’

Responding to the Federal lawsuit filed by Taylor, a spokesperson for Delta Airlines made a statement to CNN in which they said: "When Delta employees intermix Delta's brand with conduct or content that does not reflect our values of professionalism, inclusion, and respect, that conduct can result in discipline or termination. While personnel issues are considered private between Delta and its employees, the circumstances described by our former employee are not an accurate or complete explanation of the company's termination decision."