I Will Not Fly

I don’t want all the hassles that are involved with flying. I don’t like the mobs, the herd atmosphere that the airlines make, being packed like sardines in the skinny seats (I once dropped my book and the whole aisle had to get up so that I could pick up my book off of the floor).

But most of all I don’t want to go through security and be at the mercy of the TSA, most of the agents are probably good but there are a lot of transphobes and homophobes TSA agents out there who can make my life miserable.

Sea-Tac, activists team up on rights of transgender travelers
Crosscut
By Manola Secaira
July 16, 2018

After the Port of Seattle began adding gender-neutral bathroom signs at Sea-Tac,  Port administrators called a meeting in February to talk to Seattle activists about the rights of transgender travelers. Upcoming renovations at the airport meant possible changes to bathrooms, so the Port wanted to keep activists in the loop. They asked if the representatives had anything else they wanted to add.

They had a lot. One in particular bubbled to the top: the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

“I hadn’t previously heard of the TSA issues,” says Courtney Gregoire, the Port of Seattle Commission president. In the meeting, she heard that transgender travelers almost always find themselves selected for additional screening processes and pat-downs.

Since the February talks, the Port of Seattle has worked in conjunction with organizations like the Gender Justice League, the Ingersoll Gender Center and Pride Foundation to bring these issues to the attention of TSA and lawmakers. The port commission passed a motion on May 22 calling for a gender-inclusive restroom plan at Sea-Tac International Airport by Sept. 30 and the port updated its information page for transgender travelers.
[…]
“Some travelers reported that TSA agents instructed them to remove clothing to the point where they are nearly naked,” Jayapal and Kennedy wrote. “Others have reported being groped and publicly humiliated.”

Let’s face it the current administration couldn’t care less about us, they are probably laughing at our anguish; “And even when transgender travelers have a bad experience and know where to send their complaint, activists like Ingersoll Gender Center Executive Director Karter Booher say TSA often fails to respond.” and when they do respond…

“I feel like I didn’t get a resolution,” he says. “Of the two complaints I’ve filed, one of them, I didn’t get any follow-up, and the other one six months later.”

Even then, the response consisted of only an apology for his discomfort and didn’t instigate further action or change, he [Gunner Scott, the director of programs at Pride Foundation. I know Scott from his days at MTPC] says.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport seems to want to do everything right but the TSA is behaving like they are the Gestapo and the current administration is allowing them to get away with it.