[Trigger warning for general harm.]
If you've got nothing to hide, you shouldn't be worried about enhanced security screening, right? RIGHT?!
TSA Groin Searches Menstruating Woman—"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). So please, please, tell the ladies not to wear their liners at the airport (I didn't even have an insert in). I'm a strong, confident woman; I'm an Army vet (which is why those camo liners crack me up), I work full-time and go to graduate school full-time, I have a wonderful husband, and I don't take any nonsense from anyone. I don't dramatize, and I don't exaggerate. I'm trying to give you a sense of who I am so you won't think that this is a plea for attention, or a jumping on the bandwagon about the recent TSA proposed boycott. I just don't want another woman to have to go through the 'patting down' because she didn't know that her glad-rag would be a matter of national security."
Christian Science Monitor—For sexual crime victims, TSA pat-downs can be 're-traumatizing':
“Any type of violation of physical boundaries can set back a rape survivor in their treatment, in their therapy, in their recovery,” says [Dr. Amy Menna, a counselor and professor at the University of South Florida who has a decade’s experience researching and treating rape survivors].GSLfa—How the TSA policies impact transgender travelers, from the National Center for Transgender Equality: "First, it is important that you KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. Even if TSA personnel are not always familiar with travelers' rights, such as the right to decline a full-body scan, you should know them. You may need to politely inform the officer of your rights and choices.
“There’s a lack of sensitivity to individuals’ emotional states when undergoing this public violation,” she adds, citing the dismissive brusqueness of the procedure.
Many passengers don't know – and aren’t informed – that they have the right to a private screening, or to have another person present at that private screening.
“Know your rights,” Menna says, “and make sure they are not violated.”
CNN—Shooting video at a TSA checkpoint? Here's what you should know: "As Americans fly to and from Thanksgiving holiday gatherings this week, some travelers -- anxious about their rights at airport security checkpoints -- may try to follow Tyner's lead and video their TSA encounters. Is that legal? It depends."
Gothamist—Guy Shows Up in Boxers As Fliers Opt Out Of Opt-Out Day: "I wore my underwear to remind all the people who submit to security procedures that they have options besides blind compliance."
