I have never had so much trouble with TSA (american airport security) until today. My crotch got flagged by their scanners and I had to get a physical patdown (surprise, there was nothing bad). Then I forgot to empty my water bottle so I had to go through it all AGAIN and my crotch was once again flagged and I had to get a physical patdown AGAIN (surprise, nothing bad yet again).
Then my other bag gets flagged after going through the thing again despite my not adding anything to it. The TSA guy opens up my bag and I’m assuming saw my packer which I kept in there to put it back in after I went through security. He then giggles and calls multiple of his coworkers over to look at it. Luckily he didn’t take it out. This whole damn time I’m right there. Ugh. Considering getting a lumpy cloth packer just to avoid this ever happening again.
I’m assuming that my crotch kept getting flagged because trans? I’ve never had this happen to me before.
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He then giggles and calls multiple of his coworkers over to look at it. Luckily he didn’t take it out. This whole damn time I’m right there.
This sounds like grounds for a complaint that could have consequences on their employment status.
But who are we kidding, it’s the TSA, and they don’t even feel like they have the obligation to pretend to give a shit.
Yup. I already submitted a complaint.
It’s not just the TSA; I had an unpleasant experience some years ago flying through Frankfurt, Germany. I wasn’t packing, but scanners flagged me because of my chest (no top surgery, I bind for travel but I guess it wasn’t flat enough that time) and the agents asked me if I’d prefer English or German. I said English, because my German’s not equal to that situation, and they assumed this meant I understood no German. So the one guy who spoke English asked me if I were a man or a woman and I explained that I’m trans. He translated to his associate as “both” to which she laughed scornfully and said “there’s no such thing!” I pretended not to understand so I could just get through the indignity as quickly as possible, but it cemented my hatred for airport security theater.
Unfortunately, any kind of silicone objects (packer in this case) in a bag are going to get flagged, so a cloth one for traveling isn’t a bad idea. To the machines, it has the characteristics of plastic explosives.
They’re still assholes, the patdown is still disgusting.
Not to pull the conversation away from the transmasc community, but I’m transfem and have definitely had my crotch flagged multiple times by TSA while tucking. Twice they made me walk through the scanner again, once I got pat down (and fortunately not felt up on), and once they made me pull my dress taut so that anyone who looked could see my bulge.
I’ve gone through airport security 4 times since coming out. 2 round trips. What I described is every single interaction I’ve had with them. Fuck TSA.
I’ve heard this is a problem from other gents, but I’ve never experienced before.
TSA are the lowest of the low; glad they flagged your peepee and not the 80% contraband that definitely gets through.
Sorry friend. Maybe the classic “pair of socks” just for the airport?
It’s odd because I’ve never had this happen to me before. I wonder if it’s just the specific airport I was at.
TSA is a job program for people that can’t handle other normal jobs. It’s for the people who couldn’t even make it into the police academy, just like how the police is for people who couldn’t make it in the military. I’ve worked at airports for over 4 years and TSA are truly bottom of the barrel. I have brought weed with me on every flight for the past 5 years and they haven’t found it once. It’s all theatre to make the customers feel safe. But then the undertrained employees use their undeserved power to make “others” feel unsafe. I’m a white dude so I don’t get the worst of it but probably because I have long hair, a beard, and wear baggy clothes I get pulled off to the side usually 1/3 of the times I go through security.
I had only been a few months on HRT and grown my hair out a little, but they flagged me for something both times on that trip. I guess I passed? Ewphoria.
I am not even trans, just a guy with long hair and I have the same issues. Happens almost every time.
