- A Beyoncé fan couldn’t attend her Seattle show due to his wheelchair’s size limitations on the plane.
- He shared his disappointment on social media, and the internet rallied behind him.
- Now, people are working to get him to another show before the end of her tour.
Jon Hetherington has been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to see Beyoncé for 25 years.
However, when an airline informed Hetherington that they couldn’t transport him to Seattle in time for Queen Bey’s Thursday show due to his wheelchair’s height, he was devastated.
“The person at the counter filled out a form explaining that my wheelchair exceeded the requirements for air travel and that they did everything possible to address and resolve the issue, but to no avail,” Hetherington told Insider.
Feeling compelled to share his story, the 34-year-old took to social media.
“So after waiting 25 years, I won’t be seeing Beyoncé tonight. Once again, ableism strikes,” Hetherington expressed in a TikTok video. He also posted about the situation on X and Instagram.
When Hetherington initially posted on TikTok, he had no expectations of reaching more than a few hundred viewers. Little did he know, his video would go viral and prompt a legion of devoted Beyoncé fans to assist him in attending another show.
“It’s truly surreal and unexpected,” Hetherington remarked.
TikTok comments flooded in as people attempted to contact Beyoncé and her team. Supporters also continued the campaign on X to show their solidarity.
“This is genuinely heartbreaking. I’m incredibly upset for him,” one X post with over 100,000 likes expressed. “I hope this somehow reaches Beyoncé’s camp, and even the tiniest gesture could make his day.”
Hetherington received messages from fans offering to buy him tickets or give up their own to future shows. However, as appreciative as he was of these offers, he declined.
Regarding his next steps, Hetherington stated that he is exploring his options. Nevertheless, he emphasized the significance of experiencing the Renaissance World Tour live, particularly as a Black queer individual, due to Beyoncé’s conscious decision to collaborate with and uplift Black queer culture.
‘This is a systemic issue’
One of Hetherington’s primary reasons for sharing his video was to highlight how ableism can result in daily challenges beyond missing a single Beyoncé concert. Thus, he opted not to name the specific airline that failed to accommodate his wheelchair.
“As someone who has been disabled my whole life, I want to make it clear that this isn’t solely about one airline,” Hetherington explained to Insider. “This is a systemic issue.”
Hetherington recounted a recent incident when he attended a Janelle Monáe concert in Seattle. Afterwards, he found himself stranded for hours because the wheelchair-accessible taxi service ceased operations after midnight without notifying him. Hetherington spent the entire night on the streets of Seattle.
At 8 a.m., his wheelchair ran out of power. Despite reaching out to various entities, including the police, fire department, and chair manufacturer, he received no assistance.
Fortunately, a friend’s father eventually helped him secure a hotel room across the street. Hetherington waited for an Amazon shipment to deliver a new charger overnight.
With the new charger, Hetherington booked another flight since he missed his original one back to Oregon. However, he encountered further issues at the airport when his wheelchair died again, requiring him to locate a charging spot and spend more hours waiting after airline staff rebooked his flight. Eventually, he managed to return home.
Due to his initial experience in Seattle, Hetherington revealed that he seriously contemplated not attending Beyoncé’s concert.
“Unless you’re disabled yourself or have a close relationship with someone who is, these challenges are often out of mind and out of sight. We might as well be invisible until society wants us to be an inspiration or until there’s a feel-good story that able-bodied individuals can read to make themselves feel better. We never think about the daily obstacles. I don’t have the luxury to do so,” Hetherington lamented.
Now that his videos have gone viral, Hetherington hopes that the conversation surrounding dismantling ableism extends beyond his personal story.
“While all eyes are on me, I hope there can be some recognition and awareness of these issues, at least for the time being. But who knows?” Hetherington said. “That’s not typically how our society operates, especially when it comes to disability.”
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