Transgender Airline Passengers, Prepare To Be Strip Searched ... Twice
by admin
http://www.transadvocacy.org/?p=189 (http://www.transadvocacy.org/?p=189)
As any non-operative transperson who has been arrested and underwent a "vigorous" pat down knows, it is not unusual to be subjected to more vigorous strip searches. Though this may have happened in Israel, the US is not far behind these days. One would hope our Dept of Justice would honor the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution.
This article can be found at change.org and is pasted below:
http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/transgender_airline_passengers_prepare_to_be_strip_searched_twice (http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/transgender_airline_passengers_prepare_to_be_strip_searched_twice)
by Michael A. Jones on November 18, 2010
Airline security has certainly seen better weeks. Here in the States, passengers are crying foul over new screening policies that many consider to be invasive or akin to "sexual assault." And over in Israel, one transgender passenger at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv was not only singled out by police, she was forced to undergo a strip search from male guards. Twice.
One would hope our Dept of Justice would honor the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution.
There is no Constitutional right to travel on an airplane. The 4th only forbids 'unreasonable' and that's awful hard to argue in this case. The writer needs to go back to AmGov101 and study this time.
Quote from: tekla on November 29, 2010, 08:42:48 AM
One would hope our Dept of Justice would honor the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution.
There is no Constitutional right to travel on an airplane. The 4th only forbids 'unreasonable' and that's awful hard to argue in this case. The writer needs to go back to AmGov101 and study this time.
There is no constitutional right to walk in a 7-11 either but you shouldn't be sexually assaulted if you walk into one.
This just makes air travel less safe, because of the x-rays from the scanner.
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/11/tsa_backscatter.html (http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/11/tsa_backscatter.html)
The world should just turn their backs on aeroplanes and go back to boats, sure the world would slow down but it's sure as hell a funny way to literally pull the finger at the bullies that are the US government.
"why is everyone not using the aeromaplanes no more?"
..."I don't think they like being sexually assaulted prior to boarding"...
"why not?"/*makes groping actions*
..."dunno".
QuoteHere in the States, passengers are crying foul over new screening policies that many consider to be invasive or akin to "sexual assault."
...
Seriously, anyone who thinks the pat downs being done by the TSA screeners is a sexual assault or even akin to a sexual assault has no f'ing clue what sexual assault actually is.
I've -been- sexually assaulted, and trust me, being patted down by the TSA doesn't even come close.
As for the so-called "Pornoscanners," which can't even make out any biological detail of a woman's crotch (and on men, don't show any more than most men show by simply wearing a tight pair of pants), are actually a strong convenience. They take far less time than the pat down, despite being technically less effective than a pat down (There are things a pat down would find that the scanners would most likely miss).
As for the radiation argument, you'll get -far- more radiation during the actual flight than from the scanner (the scanner = 2 minutes at altitude). If you're that worried about radiation, why are you flying in the first place? And, fairly certain it's not X-Rays, as an "X-Ray" scanner would show your skeleton, not a full body image, and they wouldn't be able to have the machines right there out amongst a bunch of passengers and such (ever notice how they set up the X-Ray at hospitals and the like?).
And, frankly, as far as us transwomen go, if we're pre-op, we can tuck, and the scanner won't be able to tell the difference. Won't look any different on it than a GG. Just don't wear any Gladrags Panty Pads as something in their material composition creates a distortion in the image that has to be checked more thoroughly.
The only people I -really- see this potentially being a problem for is transmen, but I don't really know much detail of what transmen do in regards to between their legs, so I can't say much on that.
I have been giving this whole thing some thought. Yes it is very invasive. If it were done anywhere other than under "National Security", it would be a crime.
So what to do?
- Don't fly. Or go a different way. Train, bus or drive.
- If you are going to fly, be prepared. Just like you would get there 2 hours early, you now need to be ready for this idiocy.
It will not change anytime soon, we all know it. So each must decide what to do personally. It would take the Congress or Supreme Court to change things.
Oh I see it spreading, trains are going to be next.
I've thought about going somewhere and maybe getting some action. Looks like I'd end up getting more action on the way there. :P
Quote from: tekla on November 30, 2010, 03:30:59 PM
Oh I see it spreading, trains are going to be next.
As someone the last couple of months who had to ride the train into the city, I'm amazed at the lack of security. Sure, I saw railroad cops at the entrances and occasionally on board, but any goof with a backpack of explosives would have killed dozens if not more people in one act of lunacy. No pat downs or scanners, only passengers with backpacks and briefcases.
Let's hope sanity prevails....
Quote from: Princess Katrina on November 30, 2010, 01:30:38 PM
...
Seriously, anyone who thinks the pat downs being done by the TSA screeners is a sexual assault or even akin to a sexual assault has no f'ing clue what sexual assault actually is.
I've -been- sexually assaulted, and trust me, being patted down by the TSA doesn't even come close.
I've been sexually assaulted too. My thoughts on the matter can be found here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/11/26/923457/-You-wouldnt-have-invited-me-over-if-you-didnt-want-to-have-sex. (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/11/26/923457/-You-wouldnt-have-invited-me-over-if-you-didnt-want-to-have-sex.)
I heard a pundant say today, "you don't have the right to fly" if you don't like the rules don't fly, if that's a none option for you over come your issues. Until we get over the "but we will be sued" stigma that the world destructive power (ACLU) has created and just freeqin PROFILE your ass, then this is what we have to deal with.
Having said that, I think I had the last laugh being a pre-op male to female transsexual woman I did the body scan, I got flagged for the extra screen, the extra screen lead to a private room pat down with another female TSA agent. I should set the stage a little here, when I travel I wear skirts, very comfortable and I don't have to tuck :icon_censored: as tightly leaving some wiggle room :icon_censored: the lady asked if I had any medical issues, I told her I was a pre-op transexual and that I have proper medical documentation (my care letter from my shrink) she didn't bat an eye and began frisking me, I should also mention I am very ticklish so I start giggling as she does her thing and so up my skirt she goes to find my :icon_censored: tucking job, she asked what was that? again I told her I was a PRE-OP transexual would you like to read my letter. She asked for it and called her female super over, they both read the letter and both turned beet red as they OKed me for my flight and sent me giggling on my way.
Now I'm sure that's not an A Typical scenario but I can just image how the TSA woman felt when she touched my :icon_censored: and then asked what's that, now come on she was a grown woman LOL it's all in your attitude.
Quote from: Princess Katrina on November 30, 2010, 01:30:38 PM
...
Seriously, anyone who thinks the pat downs being done by the TSA screeners is a sexual assault or even akin to a sexual assault has no f'ing clue what sexual assault actually is.
I've -been- sexually assaulted, and trust me, being patted down by the TSA doesn't even come close.
As for the so-called "Pornoscanners," which can't even make out any biological detail of a woman's crotch (and on men, don't show any more than most men show by simply wearing a tight pair of pants), are actually a strong convenience. They take far less time than the pat down, despite being technically less effective than a pat down (There are things a pat down would find that the scanners would most likely miss).
As for the radiation argument, you'll get -far- more radiation during the actual flight than from the scanner (the scanner = 2 minutes at altitude). If you're that worried about radiation, why are you flying in the first place? And, fairly certain it's not X-Rays, as an "X-Ray" scanner would show your skeleton, not a full body image, and they wouldn't be able to have the machines right there out amongst a bunch of passengers and such (ever notice how they set up the X-Ray at hospitals and the like?).
And, frankly, as far as us transwomen go, if we're pre-op, we can tuck, and the scanner won't be able to tell the difference. Won't look any different on it than a GG. Just don't wear any Gladrags Panty Pads as something in their material composition creates a distortion in the image that has to be checked more thoroughly.
The only people I -really- see this potentially being a problem for is transmen, but I don't really know much detail of what transmen do in regards to between their legs, so I can't say much on that.
It is x-rays, but more importantly, every time security gets pushed up, there are hidden effects. Mainly, people switching to cars instead of planes, which is much more dangerous. And for what? A machine that wouldn't have detected Mutallab and won't detect the next threat.
I too have been sexually assaulted.
I've both had the experience of being inappropriately grabbed without my consent, and I've been raped.
I have read the descriptions of the pat downs by people who have gone through them. Men who describe how their scrotum is cupped and women who describe how the agent rams her hand up into the traveler's crotch with enough force to leave a bruised feeling for the rest of the day. Women who describe how the agent even goes so far as to part the labia, inadvertently or not, during the pat down. Then there's also the running of fingers in between the buttocks and in between the breasts.
The suggestion of using a panty-liner may seem like a good idea, but it didn't work out that way for a woman who wrote;
Now, I don't want this to be about bad TSA agents; they were doing their job, they were as delicate as they could be, etc., etc. But what ultimately happened is that I was subjected to search so invasive that I was left crying and dealing with memories that I thought had been dealt with years ago of prior sexual assaults.
Why?
Because of my flannel panty-liner. These new scans are so horrible that if you are wearing something unusual (like a piece of cloth on your panties) then you will be subjected to a search where a woman repeatedly has to check your "groin" while another woman watches on (two in my case – they were training in a new girl – awesome). (Read the full thing here (http://bodyscannertruth.com/?p=1142))
And on how much these scanners see.
Actually, they do see your crotch area in surprising detail.
Some pictures have been saved, and then leaked.
There's also the "composite pic" that they've used as an "example" in many news articles, like this one in the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1166157/The-body-airport-scanner-reveals-underwear.html). Maybe it's just me, but I can see "everything" in that pic, even if it's overlap of a few different people!
I know that if I fly, it doesn't matter whether I'm packing or not, if I go through the scanner I'm likely to get patted down.
Either because the foreign object, the soft packer in my pants will make them grab me, or because my crotch will look barren while I look, sound, act, and am titled male.
The thing is, I would consider that invasive a pat down to be sexual assault.
Not "rape" but assault.
I'd be grabbed, inappropriately, on my genitals and other intimate regions, by a stranger.
And if I did not consent to it, then I'm likely to get either a) sent right back on the next flight at my own expense, or b) arrested and thus manhandled by police instead!
So...
While this is the standard, I sincerely doubt I'll be flying to the states, at all.
I can't thank posts but I'll just post it instead. Awesome post ^^^^^
Quote from: kyril on November 30, 2010, 04:04:50 PM
I've been sexually assaulted too. My thoughts on the matter can be found here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/11/26/923457/-You-wouldnt-have-invited-me-over-if-you-didnt-want-to-have-sex. (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/11/26/923457/-You-wouldnt-have-invited-me-over-if-you-didnt-want-to-have-sex.)
Thanks for writing this. That must have taken a lot to share. I have family members who've been through this and I can't imagine them being forced to relive this just to fly. One gets triggered from any touch at all. :(
Glad to hear the bastard got put away.
The topic name leads one to believe that this is something happening here and now in whatever country they live in (U.S. in my case). It should be more specific about having taken place in Israel. And yeah, I know, there are some incidents that should not have taken place here, but they are few and far between.