The Pitters' Place

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tri ... reeped-out

this seems excessive.

I'll be going through TSA security four times next month and I'm a bit scared. From asking around, the experience seems to be frequently violating for trans passengers (one trans girl had her genitals repeatedly groped in order to determine it wasn't a hidden weapon, to the outrage of her mother; others have been strip searched), so I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for possibly having my first sexual experience with a TSA agent. I've only been to the US once since transitioning, and I got lucky that time, but if I'm selected for a pat-down this time I don't know how bad it would be, especially with all the heightened security right now.

Oy, wish there was something I could say. I'm sorry this is something you're dealing with. I've only been patted down once when I failed the metal detectors twice. I haven't been in the 10 years since, but I'm a fairly innocuous looking white guy US citizen. I think if you go through the airports with the body scanners, they don't often do pat downs but I can't say for sure.

I did a bit more research and I think I may be able to get through the scanners fine without being flagged (I got mixed reports on whether or not it may alert people to my lack of dick, which they may interpret as something blocking the machine). Hopefully it helps that it'll be an international flight with lots of people to go through, such that they might be less likely to try anything funny. Having my family around might mean less chance for abuse too.

Also my mother was born in a Muslim country ahaha. But she used to be the discipline mistress in a school, is extremely hard to intimidate, and if they try to mess with her they're not going to succeed.

The border security right now is crazy though. An elderly couple from Singapore were forced to take the next flight back because they apparently weren't carrying enough money with them, and the TSA thought that was suspicious (but credit cards...). Supposedly the couple didn't cooperate satisfactorily during their interrogation, probably because they were old and couldn't hear properly and were mystified at people yelling at them.

I hope it goes alright