so i'm flying internationally tomorrow and was curious if anyone had tips for me. i'll have my (freetom) packer in my pants, and the small bag for it as well as the bendable rod in my carry on. would this cause tsa to search me..? i know that there are laws protecting trans people, but i've never done this before, so i'm incredibly nervous.

i don't want to put the rod in my luggage just in case it's lost somehow.... any help/advice would be greatly appreciated

I flew internationally about a month ago. I did run into trouble, but that was mostly because my ID doesn't really match up with what people see now. I wore my binder, and packer, got through security without any problems. But I didn't have a rod my carry-on. So I don't know if that would cause problems or not. For once, they didn't say anything about my epi-pen, which is what usually gets me stopped.

Good luck!

awesome, thank you! i have my id, ss card, and passport all with my changed name + gender, so i should be fine. my mom doesn't think the rod will be an issue because it's plastic... i'll update this once i arrive, to let everyone know what happens

I know a trans guy who just got stopped at an airport and taken to be privately searched because he was wearing a packer.  Lots of people I know are upset at the TSA about it, but my opinion on this topic is that while you're free to wear your packer, don't be upset if you get stopped and searched.  It's just a part of travelling these days.  So if I were you I would pack everything in my carry-on.  I don't think that they will care about the rod in your carry-on at all.  I go SCUBA diving internationally and pack all of my SCUBA gear in my carry-on so that there is no chance of it getting lost, and I never have any problems. (SCUBA gear involves a lot of really weird looking stuff, lol!) But if you wear your packer through the scanner then they may take you into a private room with two agents of the same gender as you (one to search and one to observe) and ask you either to remove your pants or to remove the packer from your pants so they can inspect it.  They do this because it is possible to hide dangerous items in prosthetics, and it's not limited to trans people.  There are whole websites giving tips to people with prosthetic limbs on how to most easily travel.  If you pack it in your carry-on, you don't even have the small chance that they might decide to search you.  After you go through security you can go into a bathroom and put your packer on.  Just my personal advice as a fellow traveler!

FtMitch, I like your procedure and it is probably the fastest, put everything in your carry on and use the restroom after you get through TSA.

at the first airport, i was chosen to be searched...probably because i was anxious and looked a little suspicious to them. after doing the body scan thing, they detected heat toward my right pocket so he asked if i had anything in my pocket, in which i responded "i'm transgender...it's my packer." "okay, but do you have anything in your pocket?" he smiled the entire time and let me go after that. i was mortified at first, but looking back, i got pretty lucky. on my return flights, i just put it in my mom's bag... lol. they don't care about it being there, just the liquids that i had in my carry on....which was cologne and essential oils (just needed to be in a bag).

so yeah, it was overall really smooth, but i did forget about my packer a few times, so i had to take it off in the security line and shove it in her bag... lmao. pretty funny process, nonetheless.


tl;dr if you're a trans guy and flying, just put your packer in your bag and put it back on in the bathroom after. it'll make your life a lot easier