Pan Am stewardess Patricia Ireland loves her job until sexism and inequality become impossible to ignore. When a fight over health insurance sparks a feminist awakening, Patricia’s journey leads her from airline aisles to national leadership, helping transform women’s rights in America.

The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/

SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS

United States

Mental Health

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/

United Kingdom

Mental Health

• Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/

Australia

Mental Health

• Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/
• Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Canada

Mental Health

• Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/
• Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the early AIDS crisis, one man was wrongly branded “Patient Zero.” As airlines began hiring male flight attendants, fear and homophobia converged around Gaëtan Dugas, turning him into a symbol of blame. This episode exposes how flawed science and stigma created a myth with lasting harm.

The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/

You heard archive from CBS’s 60 Minutes.

SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS

United States

Mental Health

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/

LGBTQ+ Support / Homophobia

• The Trevor Project – crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth: call, text or chat via 988 – ‘press 3’- https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
• The LGBT National Help Center – peer support and hotline services - https://lgbthotline.org/

United Kingdom

Mental Health

• Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/

LGBTQ+ Support

• Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline – support via phone, chat, email - https://switchboard.lgbt/
• https://lgbt.foundation/

Australia

Mental Health

• Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/
• Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

LGBTQ+ Support

• QLife – phone and webchat support for LGBTQ+ people: 1800 184 527 - https://qlife.org.au/

Canada

Mental Health

• Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/
• Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/

LGBTQ+ Support

• LGBT YouthLine – text, chat, and phone support across Canada - https://www.youthline.ca/
• PFLAG Canada – national peer-support network - https://pflagcanada.ca/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frustrated with their male-dominated union, a group of stewardesses consider a radical idea: forming their own union. Nell follows secret meetings, whispered alliances, and mounting risks as the women decide whether to stay loyal or gamble everything on independence.

The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/

The archive you heard was the commercial “the Air Strip” from Braniff International. You also heard “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss, performed by Lud and Schlatts Musical Emporium. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Provided by Classicals.de - https://www.classicals.de/strauss-zarathustra.

SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS

United States

Mental Health

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/

LGBTQ+ Support / Homophobia

• The Trevor Project – crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth: call, text or chat via 988 – ‘press 3’- https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
• The LGBT National Help Center – peer support and hotline services - https://lgbthotline.org/

United Kingdom

Mental Health

• Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/

LGBTQ+ Support

• Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline – support via phone, chat, email - https://switchboard.lgbt/
• https://lgbt.foundation/

Australia

Mental Health

• Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/
• Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

LGBTQ+ Support

• QLife – phone and webchat support for LGBTQ+ people: 1800 184 527 - https://qlife.org.au/

Canada

Mental Health

• Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/
• Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/

LGBTQ+ Support

• LGBT YouthLine – text, chat, and phone support across Canada - https://www.youthline.ca/
• PFLAG Canada – national peer-support network - https://pflagcanada.ca/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As stewardesses push for dignity at work, everyday encounters expose how deeply power and sexism run in the airline industry. From union politics to moments of personal reckoning, Nell traces how one stewardess is forced to confront the cost of following the rules and the courage required to break them.

The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/

You heard archive from an NBC special Report called The Teamsters Union Power, a clip from an ABC News story on Loving v Virginia and a CBS report celebrating the first ATM.

SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS

United States

Mental Health

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/

United Kingdom

Mental Health

• Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/

Australia

Mental Health

• Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/
• Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Canada

Mental Health

• Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/
• Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1950s America, airlines refused to hire Black women as stewardesses. When Patricia Banks Edmiston is repeatedly rejected, she refuses to stay silent. By calling in civil rights leaders and taking on Capital Airlines, Patricia launches a landmark discrimination case that reshapes the skies and the industry.

The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/

SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS

United States

Mental Health

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/

Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – hotline 1-800-656-HOPE; also online chat - https://rainn.org

United Kingdom

Mental Health

• Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/

Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence

• Rape Crisis England & Wales – national helpline and local support centres - https://247sexualabusesupport.org.uk/
• The Survivors Trust – specialist sexual violence support https://thesurvivorstrust.org/

Australia

Mental Health

• Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/
• Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence

• 1800RESPECT – national sexual assault, domestic & family violence counselling service: 1800 737 732 - https://1800respect.org.au/

Canada

Mental Health

• Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/
• Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/

Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence

• The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres (CASAC) – directory of local crisis centres.
• Ending Violence Association of Canada – provincial crisis lines - https://endingviolencecanada.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1960s, stewardesses were forced to retire at 32, no matter their skill or experience. When Patt Gibbs and her colleagues publicly challenge the age rule, they confront a culture that values women only while they look young. The fight turns personal when a beloved mentor is quietly pushed aside.

The archive you heard included the commercial “the Air Strip” from Braniff International and a 1963 television address by President John F. Kennedy on civil rights from John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/

You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.

SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS

United States

Mental Health

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988, or chat online - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – education, support groups, and helpline: 1-800-950-6264 - https://www.nami.org/

United Kingdom

Mental Health

• Samaritans – 24/7 phone support at 116 123 - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind – mental health information and support - https://www.mind.org.uk/

Australia

Mental Health

• Lifeline Australia – 24/7 crisis support: 13 11 14 - https://www.lifeline.org.au/
• Beyond Blue – mental health support and helpline: 1300 22 4636 - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Canada

Mental Health

• Talk Suicide Canada – call or text 988 (nationwide) - https://988.ca/
• Crisis Services Canada – nationwide crisis support network - https://thelifelinecanada.ca/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.