Do you know which group of people gets discriminated against, legally, all the time?
Single people get discriminated against all the time. Want to take a trip? Prepare to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars extra for a single supplement. Want to go out to eat? Just wait for the host or hostess to say "just one?"
Single people, in my experience, are likely to be given a tiny hotel room with barely enough room to turn around, usually located near the elevator or the ice machine, which means the room will be noisy. Going out to eat often entails the single person being seated at a table near the back of the dining area close to the kitchen. Again, a busy and noisy area.
On a British Airways flight from London to Chicago a few years ago, as I handed my boarding pass to the gate agent, I was informed that my seat had been moved so a family could sit together. Rather than the aisle seat I had reserved months before, I found myself in a middle bulkhead seat adjacent to the onboard toilet. As you might imagine, after several hours of constant use, the toilet really smelled.
When I got home I emailed British Airways about my terrible experience and wondered why my aisle seat that had been reserved for months was given to somebody else who didn't bother to plan ahead so the family could sit together.
My first email was ignored. So I emailed again. I finally got a rather snarky response thanking me for all my emails and offering me a paltry voucher to use on another British Airways flight. It was useless, because I had no plans to fly on British Airways within the designated 12 months period. I now do my best to avoid British Airways and Heathrow Airport in London.
I have been single for many years. I also travel a lot. So I have experienced all forms of travel -related discrimination. I realize that the discrimination I have experienced is far less than the discrimination faced by ethnic and religious minorities in this country. But it is discrimination nonetheless, and it is perfectly legal. My property tax dollars help support local schools despite the fact I have no children in school. The argument is that having an educated population benefits all of society. That's great, but sometimes I feel that we singles are taken for granted.
Let's face it: the world is designed around couples. I think many people feel that there must be something wrong with single people. The expectation is that people should be married and have kids. I am happy being single and living by myself (except for my two dogs).
I am not aware of any national organizations fighting discrimination directed at single people. So I guess we singles will have to put up with it if we plan to eat out or travel.