The TSA Doesn’t Understand Women (or boobs) And this is SCARY!

Yesterday, we posted about the TSA removing someone’s panties from her bag and never returning it.  This sparked some conversations on the side which brought up some other instances of the TSA not understanding women (or boobs, whether belonging to men or women).

The TSA considers carrying a vibrator to be bringing “weird and crazy crap” on the plane.

When I tweeted about this one, I received replies such as this from my female followers.

So crazy!

I briefly talked about the conversation in the post (and truncated it), but I seriously thought a TSA agent was going to make me remove my bra when he discovered it had *gasp* underwire in it.

The TSA has been amazed that women carry birth control methods, sometimes wear lacy underwear, and don’t especially appreciate you showing her vibrator to a priest.

They have claimed that a bra is a top (making a woman strip down to it), pulled out the prosthesis of a someone who was recovering from breast cancer, and have insisted men can’t wear breast-enhancing bras and other items (despite the law being gender neutral).

I have never written about this experience.  But I had the TSA do a search at the gate on my bag when I was visiting my then-boyfriend.

I was on a shuttle flight, so everyone else was in a business suit.  I was in a sundress.  The TSA agent was searching through my bag through the normal method but moments later, he decided to take every item out during a search and laid each item out individually on a table at the gate area.

Every item out on the table.  I’m turning red writing this right now.  Remember.  I was visiting my boyfriend.

The businessmen nearby watched, some amused, some laughing, and well, some looked at me in a way that made me really uncomfortable.

And I had to spend the rest of the flight with an entire plane of people who knew every item currently in my carry-on bag.

For an organization tasked with dealing with personal items such as these, waving someone’s condoms around and asking if they are having a fun weekend is unacceptable.  Or asking if the reason a woman has lacy underwear is because she’s going on her honeymoon is unacceptable.  We don’t want you touching our things in the first place.  Don’t wave them around like a prize.

 

About Jeanne Marie Hoffman

Former bartender, still a geek. One equal part each cookies, liberty, football, music, travel, libations. Stir vigorously. +Jeanne Marie Hoffman Jeanne on Twitter

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4 comments

  1. Left Handed Passenger

    The TSA is not some boys-only club. If you have an issue with a male officer hand searching your luggage, you can insist on a female officer for the task. You’re the one to lose out for not knowing your rights.

  2. @ LHP: Yea, like there are no female TSA agents doing the same thing. Reality check.

  3. Nobody should have to request to be treated with dignity by the TSA, it should happen automatically, no matter the gender of the person doing the search.

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