Gender doesn't matter when it comes to airport pat-downs
The Bilerico Project
Filed by: Alex Blaze
November 22, 2010 2:00 PM
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/gender_doesnt_matter_when_it_comes_to_airport_pat-.php (http://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/gender_doesnt_matter_when_it_comes_to_airport_pat-.php)
Passengers have the right to have an agent of the same gender perform the pat-down, but McEwan notes that any kind of unwanted touching can trigger an event. Moreover, men who are sexually assaulted are often the victims of other men--"but saying, 'Hey, I want a woman to do this' could lead to a whole other set of problems," Maltz says. Survivors and women's advocates also worry about the potential for bad actors, poor communication (as in Chase's case), and abuse of power will make an already bad procedure worse.