Is the TSA Sexist?
There's been a lot of press this travel-heavy weekend about the extreme and often discomfiting lengths the airport security folks have gone to in searching passengers. Female passengers. Still haven't run across a story about a male passenger feeling violated.
In the story linked above, several women are quoted as having been told to disrobe, having been intimidated in the process, and being afraid to complain because of fear they would be treated worse next time. Also heard a woman on To the Point on public radio today with a similar story: after she was told to strip down to nothing but a thin camisole above the waist (she'd forgone wearing a bra so there would be no underwire problem), revealing to all and sundry passing by exactly what was under her clothing (breasts), she was told, "Now I'm going to feel your breasts." When she balked she was surrounded by shouting security officers and police who told her she and her 3-month-old child would be denied boarding on their flight if she did not submit. In tears, she finally gave in.
Maybe those male passengers who have been comparably humiliated and violated are out there and just haven't received attention. Anyone know of any men who have been told to take off their pants at the security screening, or had a security person fondle their testicles?
If there haven't been such cases, well, maybe the women so treated need to bring charges for sexual assault. Because that's sure what it sounds like is happening.
UPDATE: Found a male victim: Penn Gillette of Penn and Teller. Interestingly, when Penn complained, the security folk backed off, the cop who came said that grabbing a man's crotch was assault and battery, and a public relations person called to make it all better and offer to accompany him through the airport on future trips. Gee,the cops and complaint system weren't that kind of responsive to the women cited above.
In the story linked above, several women are quoted as having been told to disrobe, having been intimidated in the process, and being afraid to complain because of fear they would be treated worse next time. Also heard a woman on To the Point on public radio today with a similar story: after she was told to strip down to nothing but a thin camisole above the waist (she'd forgone wearing a bra so there would be no underwire problem), revealing to all and sundry passing by exactly what was under her clothing (breasts), she was told, "Now I'm going to feel your breasts." When she balked she was surrounded by shouting security officers and police who told her she and her 3-month-old child would be denied boarding on their flight if she did not submit. In tears, she finally gave in.
Maybe those male passengers who have been comparably humiliated and violated are out there and just haven't received attention. Anyone know of any men who have been told to take off their pants at the security screening, or had a security person fondle their testicles?
If there haven't been such cases, well, maybe the women so treated need to bring charges for sexual assault. Because that's sure what it sounds like is happening.
UPDATE: Found a male victim: Penn Gillette of Penn and Teller. Interestingly, when Penn complained, the security folk backed off, the cop who came said that grabbing a man's crotch was assault and battery, and a public relations person called to make it all better and offer to accompany him through the airport on future trips. Gee,the cops and complaint system weren't that kind of responsive to the women cited above.
posted by Maines at 11:45 PM
1 Comments:
Quick patdown, my ass. I had a screener in Chicago feel me up in a way that was neither brief nor called for. I didn't have an underwire bra on, it was summer, and she damn well HELD and shook my breasts around for considerably longer than necessary. They're 38B, not 44DD -- I'm not hiding any weapons of mass destruction in or around them. Also, at the time, I was working in logistics for the new TSA employee rollout at Boston's Logan Airport -- I knew what was in the regulations and the training materials. I can't believe you'd pull the breastfeeding card on this one -- that's idiotic.
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