Body Scanners

[Kylo]

Just curious, I don't fly a lot and I don't like flying or dealing with airports at the best of times, but I might have to in the future again and I haven't done so since they installed those body scanners at many airports for security.

My question is for anyone, FTM or MTF, post op or pre-op if they have had negative experiences going through these scanners since the operators of these things can see you naked. It will probably be a while before I consider any sort of bottom surgery and I just want the lowdown on whether not this is the sort of thing a person may be pulled up for at one of these scanning points. I haven't heard of anything like that happening so far on forums like this... only people having bad experiences because their outward appearance didn't match their passport marker or name and things like that, but I'm talking specifically about whether what's under your clothes is likely to cause a problem as well.

If you have been through the scanners, what sort of experience did you have with it and the staff?

[AnonyMs]

I've been getting pat downs in Australia recently after going though scanners. I saw what what they were looking at on the screen, and it had picked up my breasts (presenting male).

They were polite. The last time the guy kept asking me if I was carrying anything around my neck. He stopped asking after patting me down.

[Kova V]

Leaving Miami, my little chest (I'm not endowed by any means) set off the thing. I was presenting as male as I haven't changed my ID although I was wearing mascara and after I took my shoes off my toenails were painted with mother-of-pearl sparkles (I wasn't wearing socks). The gentleman asked me if I had anything under my shirt. I said no. The best description I can give is he gave my chest one quick swipe (almost like if you were to dry your hand on the front of your jeans.) He only did one side too which was nice, they were sore that day. I think he only did one side because knew what was going on with me but was probably just doing his job. He was very professional and quickly let me pass.

My take-away was that boobs can trip the alarm when you're in guy-mode, and I shouldn't get a job where I have to do a lot of traveling unless I get my srs first. 

[Kylo]

So there are two separate scanner machines, one for male and one for female? I was under the impression it wasn't fully automatic, that people in another room view the image from the scanner to look for things that might be suspicious. That is in the UK where I currently work, though. Not sure about other countries.

[AnonyMs]

I thought they tell the machine if you're male or female, and its then knows what's to show and ignore. Not much point in indicating breasts on a women.

[Deborah]

They can't see you naked.  What they see is a cartoon outline of a human being and if the machine detects something out of the ordinary for male or female, depending on which button they push, the display then draws a colored box around the area where it detected something not expected.


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[Kova V]

There was only one machine where I went through, and on the other side I saw a computer screen with a sort of outline of a person and the chest area was highlighted in yellow. 

[Kylo]

The publicized images for the UK scanners don't look cartoony to me...

They look like a black and white grainy photograph, but they can see the body and all its bits quite well:



What I'm wondering is if they set the machine to male and it doesn't detect junk, is that a cause for pulling the person aside and asking why they don't have any. I didn't think it would be, but given they do for detecting breasts on people they set to male (what do they do if it's a large male with moobs or gynaecomastia there passing through the machine? sounds awful for anyone having to be grilled about the size of their chest) I'm wondering now if they would. I suppose it's one thing to ask about something that is there that 'shouldn't be', but how is it for something that should be there but isn't...

[Deborah]

That is the older scanner that isn't used in the USA anymore.  Maybe they still do use it in the UK.


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[Kova V]

I did a google image search for what I saw and I think this is close:

[iKate]

I set it off in JFK on my way to Korea. They did a pat down near my groin area. I saw it highlighted on the machine.

[Zumbagirl]

I'm a post-op so there is nothing to set off groin wise. I have never had any problems flying. I did have one issue when I was flying out of Japan and I had to stand on this crate while a woman looked up my skirt. I thought that was just weirdness, but hey I got on the plane and got to go home

[Jessie Ann]

I have only had to go through the scanner one time, while flying to Chicago right before Thanksgiving. I am pre-op and since I am fulltime I was in definite girl mode. Apparently I had tucked well enough because I did not set off any alarms. I did have my TSA advisory card that says I am transgrender in my hand in the event I did set it off.

[Kylo]

I'm starting to feel more nervous about the thought of air travel already. The fact you may need a card to declare yourself TG is bizarre. Do you actually need such a card legally or is it just a precaution?

[Deborah]

The card is not necessary.  It's only for your benefit if you want to carry it.  If a question arises having the card provides the explanation rather than you having to explain it.


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[Jessie Ann]

I travel all the time but usually only have to go through the metal detectors. I've only had a couple of issues since I transitioned. Both of those were where I was presenting female but still had to travel under my male name because I hadn't been able to get my passport updated and that was tied to my known traveler number and frequent flyer accounts. I had a couple of TSA agents loudly say sir or my obviously male name. 

Don't worry about traveling, most TSA people are trained how to deal with trans travlers.

I'm starting to feel more nervous about the thought of air travel already. The fact you may need a card to declare yourself TG is bizarre. Do you actually need such a card legally or is it just a precaution?

[Tessa James]

 

I travel all the time but usually only have to go through the metal detectors. I've only had a couple of issues since I transitioned. Both of those were where I was presenting female but still had to travel under my male name because I hadn't been able to get my passport updated and that was tied to my known traveler number and frequent flyer accounts. I had a couple of TSA agents loudly say sir or my obviously male name. 

Don't worry about traveling, most TSA people are trained how to deal with trans travlers.

I travel a fair amount too and in my first year out before changing my ID cards I was screened and searched every time.  In those days I traveled with a letter from my doctor about being TG.  I was told the machines have a blue and pink button and any anomalies get keyed.  That meant my pre-op genitals and bra straps set it off for me. 

Now with congruent IDs and TSA frequent flyer status I don't get any hassles.  Yes, like any job, some of the TSA folks are ignorant and rude but have not been worth my time to make a fuss over.  They work for us as public servants right!

[Sydney_NYC]

I've travelled 5 times since transitioning. The first time I was still presenting male but I had some breast growth and was wearing a sport bra and the machine flagged my breasts since the "male" button was pressed. The male TSA agent started to search, felt the bra and stopped with a little shock. I told him I was transgender and just started transitioning from male to female. He said of OK, and he said to go on.

The other times I was presenting female with female ID. My tuck (very simple with just a pair of tight panties that even allows me to pass in a swimsuit and the women's locker room at my local gym) kept the machine for going off down there. Two of the times, my long hair in the back did set it off and a female TSA agent did a quick check behind my hair, but that's something a cis-woman would have to deal with, so no issues at all.

[Juliett]

Go to a small airport that connects through a bigger one. The smaller ones don't have scanners or patdowns and as long as you don't leave the terminal in the bigger one, you'll never go through security there. I had several really pleasant experiences connecting through O'Hare in Chicago a few years ago. That being said, I pass easily and my I'D had the correct name so your mileage may vary.