New Airport Security Technique Worries Trans Advocates

[Shana A]

New Airport Security Technique Worries Trans Advocates

http://transgenderequality.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/993/

There are more changes coming from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  This week they launched a pilot program that involves conducting mandatory short interviews, dubbed "chat-downs," with every traveler coming through Boston's Logan Airport. Agents look for signs of nervousness or concealment, and any other suspicious behavior. "We are looking for behaviors that are out of the norm," the TSA's local security director told National Public Radio.

But NCTE is concerned that mandatory "chat-downs" will disparately affect transgender people, resulting in harassment and unwarranted selection for invasive screening.  Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, says:

    "The TSA continues to do a good job of making transgender people uncomfortable at airports."

[jamie nicole]

when I flew home from Thailand I purposely placed my dilators in the top of my bag.  I packed my laptop in my carry on as well but was forced to check it in.  I claimed my bag at O'Hare (change of airline) and decided to carry my bag for the last leg.  I had to go thru security again and naturally, because my laptop was in my carry on, they had to open it up..........so what was the first thing they saw when they opened my bag, all 3 of my dilators!! lol

[~RoadToTrista~]

^LOL I can imagine what they thought.

Those chat downs are likely to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

[Ann Onymous]

    "The TSA continues to do a good job of making transgender people uncomfortable at airports."

fixed that to read the most appropriate way...

The TSA does NOTHING worthwhile except to waste taxpayer money...they have YET to stop, much less detect real security threats. 

[tekla]

Au contraire, Homeland Security Theater has accomplished a lot.  It's got people used to answering random questions from low level government functionaries about their business and their personal lives.  (Really there, do you really want to know why I'm going to Vegas you idiot?)  It's got everyone used to doing really stupid ->-bleeped-<- at airports - OK, now Simon Sez: Lets all take off our shoes.  Searches of your stuff and your person are just routine.  ROUTINE!  No wants or warrants.  No suspicious behavior needed.  Guilty until proven innocent, and even then...   It's our real-time, real-world lab for turning people into sheeple.  And it's working.

[jamie nicole]

Au contraire, Homeland Security Theater has accomplished a lot.  It's got people used to answering random questions from low level government functionaries about their business and their personal lives.  (Really there, do you really want to know why I'm going to Vegas you idiot?)  It's got everyone used to doing really stupid ->-bleeped-<- at airports - OK, now Simon Sez: Lets all take off our shoes.  Searches of your stuff and your person are just routine.  ROUTINE!  No wants or warrants.  No suspicious behavior needed.  Guilty until proven innocent, and even then...   It's our real-time, real-world lab for turning people into sheeple.  And it's working.

not to mention it violates the 4th amendment.......in my and many others opinion

[Ann Onymous]

OK, tekla...point conceded   

re: jamie's post...it is definitely a point of contention.  All one need do is look at the forum over at FlyerTalk dedicated to 'Travel Safety/Security" to get the real feelings about how frequent flyers feel about TSA (and also get occasional updates on pending lawsuits filed over the abuses). 

[Ann Onymous]

When exactly did it change? I flew into the Boston Airport on Tuesday, and they didn't bother me. Actually my passport still has old name / picture / gender on it, I look entirely female, and the customs guy didn't even blink. I got the where-are-the-guy-features-how-is-that-possible look from the woman I showed my passport to when I boarded in Ottawa. But everyone was totally nice and relaxed. I didn't even have to take off my shoes or get patted down by American security this time. (My sis got felt up though.)

Despite all the stupid, useless and wasteful security, how many trans folks have really been harassed in airports? It doesn't seem like anymore than the regular crap everyone has to deal with.

The TSA has been on their 20-layers kick over the past year, with the basic premise being 'we don't know what the hell we are doing but because we can do a lot of different stuff and you won't know what it is, we are calling it layered security.'  They cloak MOST of their policies under the auspices of sensitive information even when it has nothing to do with the actual claimed effort to provide security. 

As to claims of 'trans' harassment, I think I remember ONE person over at FT that expressed concern...and that was pretty much dealt with by suggesting that they not go through the cancer-scope in the first place (something that EVERYONE would do well to opt out of). 

None of this nonsense existed in the days when I was pre- back then, everyone walked through the metal detector and you could more or less have shown up at the airport a half-hour before your flight and still get to the gate with time to spare. 

[eli77]

As to claims of 'trans' harassment, I think I remember ONE person over at FT that expressed concern...and that was pretty much dealt with by suggesting that they not go through the cancer-scope in the first place (something that EVERYONE would do well to opt out of). 

When it's a choice between being irradiated and being groped, I'll take being groped. Who knows, she might be cute. 

[Lukas-H]

I'm not sure how I feel about this but I can say that I haven't had any troubles while travelling internationally the past few years.

I don't mind going through the body scanners and have never been patted down. I don't wear my packer at the airport and on the trip back home I packed it in my checked baggage because the trip to my destination I got my carry-on searched twice because the packer is a gel-type material (which I understand can raise questions). But I also have some...intimate toys I travel with, and while its embarrassing for the agent to see that when they are doing a quick search of my luggage I just try not to make any comment about it. One or two of them might have seemed a bit embarrassed but I get more questions asked about the external hard-drive I travel with than anything else.

I know that there are TSA people who abuse the rules and they should be punished accordingly. I just hope that people who have troubles speak up about what has happened and try not to have too much of a grudge against the other people who are just doing their job and not abusing anything.

[Pinkfluff]

I've actually had less irritation with the TSA after "going full time" than before, and I did quite alot of flying in the second half of 2010. Sure I always worry about it, but never once has anything happened. Maybe once or twice did they hand inspect my carry on, but I never got a pat down. As a former frequent flyer and an engineer, I don't really have a problem with their procedures as I have experienced them. I don't think I'd want to go through the radio scanner alot, but a couple of times a year is not going to kill you. I do think that flight crew should be exempt from that, at least after their first few flights, because of their extra radiation exposure from being at high altitude so much. If they can be trusted to fly the plane then they can be trusted not to try to smuggle a weapon on board. I've actually gotten more grief from the airlines themselves than from the TSA (not related to trans issues).

[rexgsd]

this just even moreso reinforces by dislike to fly :/

i'm just a nervous and 'suspicious' person by nature, even though i don't really have anything to hide. except a few things like i'm trans, gay, and like to occaisonally crossdress, all which tsa doesn't need to know -.-