Hey everyone,

so, I'm planning a short weekend trip within the U. S. soon, and I really want to travel while presenting as female. I've always wanted to do this, but all of my identification documents--passport, driver's license, etc.--show me as a male. I have not started HRT and have no documents from anyone confirming that I am trans*. I know that the TSA now has a page about "Transgender Travellers" and our "Special Considerations" on its site; this page says that "Travelers are encouraged to use the same name, gender, and birth date when making the reservation that match the name, gender, and birth date indicated on the government-issued ID that the traveler intends to use during travel."

There isn't much else on the page specifically about IDs. This is the page I quoted from. http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/transgender-travelers

Is it more or less impossible for me to fly while presenting as female, then, unless I can get my ID changed? Would I be able to get a letter from a gender therapist confirming my gender identity, and would this get me through security? Has anyone else travelled through the TSA when their ID doesn't match their gender presentation without problems? Any advice would be appreciated.

well, you don't have to wear a skirt/dress and heels to be female... don't get too caught up on absolutes about presentation. instead of interpreting the m on the license as male/man, interpret it as m for butch.  If anything, I would say dress casual- something andro to get through security. perhaps a nice outfit of jeans and a loose shirt over a cami? don't wear a bra with wires in it, that could make you look suspicious in the body scanner/metal detector. A medium impact sports bra that you can remove the padding from will work good for this (or just the cami instead of the bra). That is what I did for flying several times in 2003 when everyone was much more paranoid than they are nowadays.

As for getting a letter from a therapist, you won't need to get a fully certified diagnosis letter of recommendation, just what is called a "carry letter." this is what many therapists issue as a short statement their clients carry with them while they are in the process of the Real Life Test phase of their transition.

Oh you'll be fine. TSA is more concerned about prohibited items these days. I look nothing like my ID photos but they look at me a few times and wave me through.

In fact there was a crossdresser who flew all the time dressed in women's clothing. It was obvious he wasn't trying hard and probably wasn't even trans* anyway. So I doubt a real trans* person would have much trouble.

It's "really important" that you research this with the major legal sites for LGBT folks including the ACLU. The body scanners can turn up anomalies for trans people both MtF and FtM and this has and continues to cause major issues for Trans people who travel.

For us, if we're presenting as female and are pre-op the scanners can show a "genital mass." For MtF it can show a "chest mass" due to their breasts. Both of these would warrant a closer look by TSA personnel. (i.e. please come into the back room with us)

From what I've read on these sites and I apologize, my laptop is having issues and I've lost my bookmarks, you have the ability to write your refusal for a body scan on a card and request a pat down if you so choose.

I only know this because I know I'll be traveling for business and as I move along in my transition I know it will be an issue so I've researched it.

Please, please, please research this online so you're not caught unawares. Know your rights and what you can expect before you travel.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. You're over  thinking it a lot. The only thing you want to avoid is using the women's restroom in the airport if you're not passing.

A lot of smaller airports don't even have body scanners or pat downs. I've flown from springfield to San Jose and back several times and only ever went through a metal detector.

Something most people don't realize is that almost no one looks at the gender marker on an id. I've had an insurance person sit there with my id in hand while my mother had been intentionally misgendering me for 30 minutes and she still wrote female.

Quote from: Angelia_Michelle on August 21, 2014, 11:00:22 PM
Please, please, please research this online so you're not caught unawares. Know your rights and what you can expect before you travel.

Thats the thing, it sounds like shes been doing her research so much that the old info is blending with the current info and causing a lot of anxiety and confusion while trying to understand this quandary.

the body scan machines are able to detect a lot of things people conceal under clothing. Basic tucking may still be able to cause a "genital mass anomaly," BUT they can be beat by methods that involve how one is going about concealing their unwanted bits. this can be avoided with a full inversion (including the scrotum) into the body cavity and then held in place not by tape, but by at least one or two layers of a good control top panty hose (even if its just the control top part). tape (especially duct tape) would show up as an anomaly on the scanner, as would any dense material (another reason why you still have to remove your shoes and shouldn't have any metal on you). Normal clothing wouldn't register much at all. One has to interpret how these machines do their job - by emitting a frequency that is fine tuned to resonate at the density of skin. Think of it this way: it can see down your throat if your mouth is open, but it can't see past your lips if your mouth is closed. not apply that concept to down stairs: if someone who the controller marks as appearing female has their genitals arranged to look exactly like a vagina, then it will interpret it as such and is far less likely to issue any anomaly.

Quote from: ImagineKate on August 21, 2014, 09:46:48 PM
In fact there was a crossdresser who flew all the time dressed in women's clothing. It was obvious he wasn't trying hard and probably wasn't even trans* anyway.

Mr. Howard Nutt (yes that is (his) real name), flies on my airline a lot, out of Burbank mostly, but has been on my plane a few times out of LAX too.  A well respected lawyer and very nice.  As for being trans, I've never asked, perhaps I will next time, likely, outing myself in the process.

Has anyone had a problem with passports and country agents being......suspicious? Unfriendly?

I can understand your anxiety. I've been through it myself so many times. I am female with 'bits' that are not female, so it has always been stressful going through the machines. All my gender markers on my documents are female so the document part is no worry. I must be doing something right down there because so far there have been zero problems at all. I do wear a very tight lacey panty girdle going through (I make sure its pretty undies just in case) and so far so good.

Recently, my husband and I traveled out of the country making it necessary for me to get a passport. I do believe I lost some hair worrying over how I would overcome the birth certificate hurdle (unchanged as of yet). I've never been to a therapist or psychologist so those things are nonexistent for me.  You know the saying, where there is a will there is a way :-)   The "center" in Atlanta helped me with a physician issued statement. Their letter, with my "m" birth certificate along with my court ordered change papers, got me a normal passport with no problems. I live in a small town and was concerned the post office person processing my paperwork would freak out. He simply stated "that's no problem" and went on as if nothing. OMG was I happy and I do believe I've grown extra hair on my head now cause I felt so relieved. I have also sent in my application to the TSA to go through the express "old fashioned" metal detectors wherever possible.

I can completely understand your anxiety and stress and I wish I could give you a big hug and tell you that 'where there is a will there is a way'. Just don't think about it and be yourself when going through whatever machine we have to use.  I do like the recommendations from previous comments about the tucking neatly and having a letter along with your transgender rights printed out -- just in case.  Also, the new laws and new machines only show stick figures with circles on an anomaly, but they input gender for the machine as they see you.  Big HUG, Good luck and safe travels.

Flying pre-op, post-op, old ID, or new, hasn't made a difference to me at the security points.
I even label a flight I took about a decade ago as cross dressed, passing was simply beyond me in those days. It wasn't a problem then either.

Quote from: Angelia_Michelle on August 21, 2014, 11:00:22 PM
It's "really important" that you research this with the major legal sites for LGBT folks including the ACLU. The body scanners can turn up anomalies for trans people both MtF and FtM and this has and continues to cause major issues for Trans people who travel.

For us, if we're presenting as female and are pre-op the scanners can show a "genital mass." For MtF it can show a "chest mass" due to their breasts. Both of these would warrant a closer look by TSA personnel. (i.e. please come into the back room with us)

From what I've read on these sites and I apologize, my laptop is having issues and I've lost my bookmarks, you have the ability to write your refusal for a body scan on a card and request a pat down if you so choose.

I only know this because I know I'll be traveling for business and as I move along in my transition I know it will be an issue so I've researched it.

Please, please, please research this online so you're not caught unawares. Know your rights and what you can expect before you travel.

I believe the full body backscatter scanners have been disbanded by the TSA. I haven't seen them recently in any airports I've been to. The only thing your body goes through now is a metal detector, and in some airports a millimeter wave scanner which is less intrusive.

They pulled them out because the pictures were showing up basically as naked people. Also, they failed to detect things like weapons that are concealed in clothing.

Quote from: Aus76 on August 22, 2014, 08:30:41 AM
Has anyone had a problem with passports and country agents being......suspicious? Unfriendly?

It really depends on the country. Some are super anal, and some will just stamp and wave you through.

The TSA really doesn't care about that. I will say, and this is personal experience, if you stand out too much you will get an additional screening. I left LA wearing a RealTree tshirt, cowgirl boots and a camo ball cap and was searched at the entrance and again at the actual gate, here in Ohio I wasn't even looked at twice. Fly out wearing really baggy "gangsta" clothes, expect to be searched by every TSA agent you walk past.
Lesson here is blend. If everyone else is in jeans and a T shirt that isn't camo, wear the same and you will be just fine.

All you need to worry about is that the name and gender on your airline boarding pass match your ID: your driver's license or passport. The first TSA person you meet will be the "Travel Document Checker".  After that it should be smooth sailing as long as you aren't carrying contraband.

You don't need a "carry letter" or any such nonsense.  TSA agents don't care why you are dressed differently. 

TSA agents aren't bothered by transsexuals or crossdressers.  They have seen it all, and have specific instructions to be respectful toward transsexuals.  If a patdown is necessary the patdown will be by an officer of the same gender as your presentation.

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/transgender-travelers

Thanks, everyone, for your replies.  To clarify, I wasn't planning to dress in any particular way, and certainly not a provocative way to draw high attention to myself; indeed, I usually dress relatively conservatively when I present as female. The reason I was curious at all was because I would like to be able to dress in the way any normal cis-female in an airport might dress, be that in jeans or a skirt, without attracting negative security attention. I have had a few run-ins with the TSA, from invasive "random" security checks to once being brought to a room to be scanned because I supposedly had an explosive on my palm when I was swabbed (an explosive that, it was later uncovered, had been present in minute quantity in the hand lotion of that same airport's hotel, which I had just come from) to being explicitly told by a TSA official, shortly after 9/11, that I was being taken aside to be "checked" because, to paraphrase his words, I "had those features." As a person of colour, who is multiracial and can be mistaken for a number of different ethnic groups, I am still occasionally concerned when I go to the TSA because of these sorts of incidents. Therefore, were I to present as female, my concern would be that, were I to come across the wrong TSA official, I might be construed as "suspicious" for "wearing a disguise" or something of the sort. There are so many horror stories I am familiar with of seemingly minor things setting off a security concern in the TSA, and that was why I was nervous.

This was my fear, anyway. Based on what most of you girls have said, I'm assuming that the TSA, generally, is more accustomed to non-gender-conforming passengers than I had anticipated. But I will also be sure that I am fully aware of my rights on the off-chance that something were to happen.

Quote from: Randi on August 22, 2014, 11:10:11 PM
All you need to worry about is that the name and gender on your airline boarding pass match your ID: your driver's license or passport. The first TSA person you meet will be the "Travel Document Checker".  After that it should be smooth sailing as long as you aren't carrying contraband.

You don't need a "carry letter" or any such nonsense.  TSA agents don't care why you are dressed differently. 

TSA agents aren't bothered by transsexuals or crossdressers.  They have seen it all, and have specific instructions to be respectful toward transsexuals.  If a patdown is necessary the patdown will be by an officer of the same gender as your presentation.

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/transgender-travelers

Yes, Randi, that's the same link I posted above. I have flown many times and am aware of how the TSA works, but I also am personally aware of individual agents treating certain persons rather roughly based on appearance, since it has happened to me--hence my questions. I mentioned a question about a letter because, in my prior research, I had seen another trans* person say she brought one from an endocrinologist with her. Thanks for the information.

Quote from: Angelia_Michelle on August 21, 2014, 11:00:22 PM
It's "really important" that you research this with the major legal sites for LGBT folks including the ACLU. The body scanners can turn up anomalies for trans people both MtF and FtM and this has and continues to cause major issues for Trans people who travel.

For us, if we're presenting as female and are pre-op the scanners can show a "genital mass." For MtF it can show a "chest mass" due to their breasts. Both of these would warrant a closer look by TSA personnel. (i.e. please come into the back room with us)

From what I've read on these sites and I apologize, my laptop is having issues and I've lost my bookmarks, you have the ability to write your refusal for a body scan on a card and request a pat down if you so choose.

I only know this because I know I'll be traveling for business and as I move along in my transition I know it will be an issue so I've researched it.

Please, please, please research this online so you're not caught unawares. Know your rights and what you can expect before you travel.

Thanks for this! If you have any sites you think I should check out, I'd love to see them. I'm feeling a lot better about the idea of flying while en femme now, but I'd still rather be prepared.

Quote from: veritatemfurto on August 21, 2014, 11:40:25 PM
Thats the thing, it sounds like shes been doing her research so much that the old info is blending with the current info and causing a lot of anxiety and confusion while trying to understand this quandary.

the body scan machines are able to detect a lot of things people conceal under clothing. Basic tucking may still be able to cause a "genital mass anomaly," BUT they can be beat by methods that involve how one is going about concealing their unwanted bits. this can be avoided with a full inversion (including the scrotum) into the body cavity and then held in place not by tape, but by at least one or two layers of a good control top panty hose (even if its just the control top part). tape (especially duct tape) would show up as an anomaly on the scanner, as would any dense material (another reason why you still have to remove your shoes and shouldn't have any metal on you). Normal clothing wouldn't register much at all. One has to interpret how these machines do their job - by emitting a frequency that is fine tuned to resonate at the density of skin. Think of it this way: it can see down your throat if your mouth is open, but it can't see past your lips if your mouth is closed. not apply that concept to down stairs: if someone who the controller marks as appearing female has their genitals arranged to look exactly like a vagina, then it will interpret it as such and is far less likely to issue any anomaly.

Ah, that's an excellent point about tucking--I hadn't thought of how that might show up on a scanner. Thanks for bringing this up!

Quote from: herekitten on August 22, 2014, 12:39:27 PM
I can understand your anxiety. I've been through it myself so many times. I am female with 'bits' that are not female, so it has always been stressful going through the machines. All my gender markers on my documents are female so the document part is no worry. I must be doing something right down there because so far there have been zero problems at all. I do wear a very tight lacey panty girdle going through (I make sure its pretty undies just in case) and so far so good.

Recently, my husband and I traveled out of the country making it necessary for me to get a passport. I do believe I lost some hair worrying over how I would overcome the birth certificate hurdle (unchanged as of yet). I've never been to a therapist or psychologist so those things are nonexistent for me.  You know the saying, where there is a will there is a way :-)   The "center" in Atlanta helped me with a physician issued statement. Their letter, with my "m" birth certificate along with my court ordered change papers, got me a normal passport with no problems. I live in a small town and was concerned the post office person processing my paperwork would freak out. He simply stated "that's no problem" and went on as if nothing. OMG was I happy and I do believe I've grown extra hair on my head now cause I felt so relieved. I have also sent in my application to the TSA to go through the express "old fashioned" metal detectors wherever possible.

I can completely understand your anxiety and stress and I wish I could give you a big hug and tell you that 'where there is a will there is a way'. Just don't think about it and be yourself when going through whatever machine we have to use.  I do like the recommendations from previous comments about the tucking neatly and having a letter along with your transgender rights printed out -- just in case.  Also, the new laws and new machines only show stick figures with circles on an anomaly, but they input gender for the machine as they see you.  Big HUG, Good luck and safe travels.

Thank you! I'm glad you've made it through--that's a really lovely success story. I was wondering about how I would be gendered in the body scanner, since the airport I would be flying through definitely uses one, but I had completely forgotten about how tucking with tape might show up on a scanner. I don't always even tuck, actually, if I'm wearing a long loose garment, and that might have been interesting on the scanner. I think it will be okay, but I will definitely--just in case--try to make sure I have all the information I need before I go.