New Laws Add Hassle for Trans Fliers

[Hazumu]

 August 14, 2009
By Michelle Garcia



Article:

TSA spokesman Dwayne Baird told Advocate.com on Thursday that transgender travelers who are purchasing tickets should declare "the gender that they were at the time that they booked their flight."

However, Baird said he was unsure whether those who don't identify with a specific gender or are in transition would be held to the same rules.

Kristina Wertz, the Transgender Law Center's legal director, said the new regulations will likely exacerbate airport hassles that some transgender people already face while traveling.

"A lot of transgender people don't have documents" that match up with how they currently identify, she said. "There are always troubles that arise when dealing with documents. People are sometimes forced to disclose their transgender status in a situation where they may not want to."

A comment:

Name: Brandi Parker
Date posted: 2009-08-16 12:00 AM
Hometown: Roanoke Va

Comment:

Hazumu Osaragi A stealth post op I am but a separatist not so much I live a very normal life no different then they do at Beale AFB in Marysville Ca. as for the fore mention crowd I'm not worried about them gaining power or finding me. I not only voted for Obama bit I also worked for him as a campaign coordinator and helped turn Va blue something that hadn't happened since 1969. I do believe we need health care and I'm working hard to push for it. As for your other comments your right in that I think the transgender crowd ie: cders transvestites,drag queens,and ->-bleeped-<-s dilute my condition and are constituently trying to grab hold of the gender Identity label hen they have no right to as their gender Identity is MALE their brains are MALE they do nothing but and muddy up the water so the general public can't understand the seriousness of this condition or the need for people with GID to transition. Sincerely Brandi Parker

[LordKAT]

I must be dense. I had to read that comment 3 times to figure her out. Gender identity label? only men have transgender issues outside of GID? I don't think so.

As to gender and flying, same conundrum, different venue.

[Alyssa M.]

Brandi's later comment is even more blatant bigotry. lt's always so special when people that violate societal norms reinforce societal norms. 

Disgusting.

[Hazumu]

Brandi's position boils down to "Those cders, DQs, and 'non-op' poseurs make me feel uncomfortable, and I wish they'd go away," to which she adds a rationalization that they are somehow hurting her chances of ever living a normal life just by being.

I will give her this, she has distilled and condensed that ideology into a concentrated, understandable form.  I wish I could write that cleanly...

Karen

[Britney_413]

I really wish they would stop limiting our freedoms with artificial security measures. The only security concerns about airplanes should be weapons or explosives on board. Therefore, they don't need an ID, a gender, a name, or any information at all about you. All they need to be doing is searching/screening people and bags that go into the secure area. Who you are doesn't make one bit of a difference if you aren't bringing something illegal. This is all just BS. I can see the airliner itself requiring that you prove the person on the ticket matches you simply to prevent ticket fraud. As far as I'm concerned all of these other artificial security measures are unconstitutional. As long as you aren't bringing a gun or a bomb on board, the government has no need to know who you are, where you are flying, or why you are flying. Don't tread on me!

[Mister]

I'm pretty sure they need to know where you're flying so they can get you where you're intending to go and prevent you from going where you're not.  You have no idea how many morons attempt to wander down the wrong jetway.
Post Merge: August 17, 2009, 01:03:32 AM
And truly, if you think that US Security measures are tight, try boarding a plane in Israel.

[Janet_Girl]

The only time I plan on getting on a plane is to go to Thailand for SRS.  I will have letters to that fact.  And my DL says 'Female".  Out myself?  If necessary.


Janet

[Britney_413]

Preventing someone from getting on the wrong flight should be up to the private airliners, not the federal government's job. We don't need federal agents and federal tax dollars wasted on ensuring that American idiots don't end up in the wrong town. Again, the only real purpose of security is to make sure that someone boarding an airplane isn't planning on blowing it up, shooting it up, or hijacking it. That aside, any other logistics of airline travel should be up to airline employees and rank-and-file airport workers. As to Israel's security, I really don't care. We are talking about the U.S. here where we are supposed to have certain constitutional rights. I don't know anything about Israel's laws and it really isn't relevant to this discussion anyway.

[Mister]

I'm pretty sure airport security is also in place to prevent things like trafficking, too. 

[Britney_413]

I'm pretty sure airport security is also in place to prevent things like trafficking, too.

Trafficking what? Drugs? Weapons? The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from conducting "unreasonable searches and seizures" which means that a warrant, probable cause, or your permission is required for a search. They get around this at airports because it is all based on your consent. You don't have to allow airport security to search your bags or you but they also don't have allow you onto the federal property where aircraft takes off and lands. This is why if you own a private jet or fly on a private plane owned by your friends, there is no security to go through. It is private, not commercial or public so you can pretty much do what you want.

Because the federal government is interfering with the free movement of people by requiring security checks at commercial airport terminals, I believe that constitutionally these searches and seizures should literally be restricted to only what is not safe to bring on an aircraft (i.e. weapons and explosives). Drugs and a host of other things may be illegal but don't endanger air travel. You aren't required to consent to searching your private vehicle when crossing state lines on a road. As a result, I'm sure trafficking of illegal substances goes on each day. However, that's the price we pay for retaining some of our freedoms. I don't believe we should be authorizing government officials to invade our privacy for a false sense of security. I'd rather not have someone next to me bringing two pounds of cocaine on the flight but since it doesn't affect the health and safety of the aircraft, that should be up to the airlines to report it, not to warrantless government intrusion.

[Mister]

I'm sorry, is there a reason you feel the need to preach to me? 

[Britney_413]

I'm sorry, is there a reason you feel the need to preach to me?

Excuse me? You were the one who chose to respond to my original post in this thread in the first place. Then the discussion went back and forth (which is normal--that is what a discussion is). Now, you are saying I am preaching? If you aren't willing to elaborate on and/or back up what you say, then maybe you would be best not saying anything at all. You can't expect to post something and not have someone disagree with it or otherwise counter it. It is called discussion or debate. If you are not comfortable discussing/debating something, your option is not to enter the discussion in the first place.