Plane Passenger Says Her Faith Prohibits Her From Sitting Between Two Men and Demands to Switch Seats

Airplane seat drama can turn a routine trip into a full-blown standoff, and this one started in the middle row. A passenger heading to lacrosse summer camp says a woman asked him to switch seats because her faith supposedly would not allow her to sit between two men.

He says he told her he was gay and had no interest in women, but she still brought in a flight attendant and tried to make the case again. The other man in the row also refused to move, saying he had bladder issues and could not trade seats.

Now the question is simple, but the answer is not: was he wrong to stay put?

A gentleman from an aisle seat finally agreed to trade places with the lady.

Grom92708

OP is wondering if he's the a**hole for not granting her request. Read his full post below:

Grom92708 Grom92708

Maybe it's specific to being seated between two men?

neverthelessidissent

Or she just really hated being trapped in the middle seat.

lolikamani

Apparently, in some religions, the restrictions also apply to men.

QCr8onQ

Is this the missing 11th commandment?

faeyt

The word of the Lord is mysterious and shouldn't be taken too literally.

Effective-Penalty

They can't sit with women unless she's their wife or related to them.

xlxcx

This echoes the debate in an AITA where OP refused to split vacation costs equally after last-minute changes.

Shouldn't they be the ones to make arrangements knowing what is and isn't allowed in their religion?

Skankasaursrex

Why should others be inconvenienced so you can follow the tenets of your religion?

Logical_Ruse

It's up to the individual to avoid situations that could compromise their beliefs. She should have booked two seats.

cantankerousgnat

Here's the linked post from the above comment:

shulchanaruchharav.com

The laws are too expansive and complex to be fully understood, so sometimes, like the lady, some become overly cautious.

cantankerousgnat

If the lady was indeed Jewish, a Rabbi would have advised her to do nothing but make a fuss, says this commenter.

cantankerousgnat

It's true that what she asked wasn't unreasonable, but she could have expressed her request with a better attitude.

hannahstohelit

When expressed this way, it's easy to understand that it was really the lady's responsibility to ensure she wouldn't accidentally violate her religion's rules.

Big_Metal2470

Buy multiple seats just to be safe.

majesticjewnicorn

The last sentence is poetry.

InfamousBanana4391

Assuming that the whole plane was booked, the flight attendant really couldn't do much.

Brickolas75

It could be both: she's not allowed to sit next to men not related to her AND she hates that damned middle seat.

Basic-Neighborhood10

A Reddit user from a faith with a similar rule explained it more clearly...

BornTheme3419

... we can't blame the woman for following the practices of her faith, BUT she should have made proper arrangements so as not to violate them.

BornTheme3419

Like what the commenter above said, the woman must have felt trapped sitting between two men when her beliefs tell her it's wrong. However, she was wrong for not making the proper arrangements beforehand and instead chose to inconvenience the people around her.

OP is most definitely not an a**hole in this case, despite his doubts. He reassured her, but as a paying customer, he was well within his rights to refuse her request. The lady in the middle seat should take this experience as a lesson for when she books her next flight.

Wondering about fairness too, read the AITA where a friend bailed last minute and OP refused equal travel costs.