Shadi Petosky just wanted out of Orlando, Florida. On Monday night, Petosky, a 35-year-old transgender woman who lives in Los Angeles, attempted to board a flight at Orlando's International Airport when she was detained by the Transportation Security Agency. The reason? According to Petosky's live-tweets of the ordeal, agents were worried about an "anomaly" — her genitals.
I am being held by the TSA in Orlando because of an "anomaly" (my penis)
The TSA at the Orlando Airport told me I couldn't take photos but this is denigrating. I have missed my flight pic.twitter.com/PHwBLiJ0cB
The TSA has left me in a room alone. There is an officer holding the door. pic.twitter.com/aFA0cQxAGx
TSA agent Bramlet told me to get back in the machine as a man or it was going to be a problem.
I asked TSA agent Bramlet if he had any training in trans issues. He said "I know what I am doing"
I fly all the time and this has never happened. I really thought the TSA was good about trans issues. I am so dumb.
They're telling me they have to take my phone. I told them that I want to use this to keep a record of what is happening
I am going to look for any open American Airlines gate in the airport to rebook. I am prob being hyper vigilant about logging publically.
A TSA agent is telling me to leave the airport. I asked them to please call a supervisor, I just want to get to an American Airlines gate
They told me to get myself together, I am sobbing, not belligerent.
American Airlines says that if I want to for sure fly out of Orlando today it's $955.
Traveling while trans: Airports have become a battleground for many marginalized communities. The phrase "flying while Muslim" was coined in the years after Sept. 11, 2001, when Muslim travelers, or those who appeared to be Muslim, reported being subject to heightened levels of scrutiny by airport security. Transgender people, however, face their own airport battles, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.
"The right to travel freely is a fundamental human right, yet travelers across the country continue to express concerns about the intrusive security screening procedures used by the Transportation Security Administration," the organization says in a "Know Your Rights" guide. "These procedures can be invasive of everyone's privacy and are of particular concern to transgender people because of their potential to 'out' people in unsafe ways, potentially leading to harassment and discrimination."
The TSA does have a specific policy on how transgender travelers are to be treated in airports across the United States. According to its website:
Transgender persons should use the name and gender that appears on their government-issued ID when making flight reservations and at the security checkpoint. You may ask that carry-on bags be screened in private if a bag must be opened by a TSA officer to resolve an alarm. Screening can be conducted in a private screening area with a witness or companion. You may request private screening or to speak with a supervisor at any time during the screening process.
But those policies aren't always followed. According to a National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 17% of trans people reported being harassed at the airport or on an airplane and 11% said they'd been denied equal treatment.
American Airlines manager is telling me that "in the future ask for a private screening"
I literally want to no lectures from American Airlines on how to travel while trans. I want the same privileges as cis people.
This police officer was very helpful. He told lecturet @AmericanAir manager that he wasn't going to remove me pic.twitter.com/qJweZxZXrO
TSA spokesman Mike England provided a statement to theAdvocate, saying their officers are properly trained to scrren transgender flyers and that the agency reviewed the incident. "After examining closed circuit TV video and other available information, TSA has determined that the evidence shows our officers followed TSA's strict guidelines," he told the Advocate. "Supervisory personnel and a passenger support specialist participated in the screening to ensure guidelines were met."
I am through. It was about 40 minutes, 2 full body pat downs, fully disassembled luggage. I missed my flight. pic.twitter.com/wLTvP3md9W
Obviously, traveling while trans is still a big problem.
