I looked at the TSA website and although it covers "transgender travellers" it does not really answer the question I have. If you fly en femme and are selected for a molestation, whoops, I meant to say "pat down," is it done by a male or female agent?
Hi Allison,
I have flown and was subject to a pat down (Canadian Airport) and it was a female agent who performed the pat down. My understanding is that is normally an agent of the gender you are presenting.
Hugs
Isha
My first trip en femme was when the TSA just started the more complete pat down. I had worn a steel boned waist cincher on the way out and that set off the alarm in the first traditional scanner that I walked through. They were very professional and immediately called a female agent over. She first explained everything that she was going to do and then repeated it as she was about to start the next area to pat down. This all happened in the middle of those x-ray machines as everyone else took their turn going through. Many people men and women smiled in support of my little short ordeal. I just remembered to skip that waist cincher on the return trip. Everything that I have read from people on this site, the TSA agents are still very professional throughout the whole process. I say go for it!
In Australia you can (successfully) ask for a female agent to do the pat down. You can also ask to go to a private room too. When I wore a steel boned corset (comfort has taken over now) I preferred a female agent in a private room but over time I was happy for a female agent to do it out in the open.
I've flown probably 15 times (in drab but being very observant) in the last 2 years and have seen nothing but professionalism from the TSA agents. If you get a pat down it's usually from an agent of the gender you are presenting as, unless you request otherwise. If you are uncomfortable you have the right to request a private space - a room if available, behind a screen if not.
Any frequent flyer gets x-rayed to death. I would not do that. Those machines are barbaric.
T-shirt says: "Hi, I Crossdress!"
Thank you for the responses. I'm not flying anytime soon, I was just curious, as I am hopeful that maybe I can make it to Diva Las Vegas in the future. I can't say that I have been treated poorly by the TSA, except once while flying out of the little airport in Green Bay, they opened my checked bag in the ticket area (not behind the counter, out in the lobby!) and searched it right out in the open. Wasn't happy about my business associates potentially seeing my things!
I have flown en femme several times, you can request the pat down from the gender you want but generally assumed you will be patted down by the gender you are presenting. You also have the right to a private room screening if you chose. They have always been totally professional, doubtful you will experience any problems at all.
I want to be this girl!
I asked this very question of the security folks at my local airport and they confirmed, in an email, that the policy in all UK airports is that if a pat down or search is required then it is conducted by a staff member of the same gender as the passenger REGARDLESS OF HOW THE PASSENGER IS DRESSED.
They also confirmed that, so long as you have a valid boarding card, your identity documents are not an issue - that's the airline / handling agent's responsibility.
I've flown pretty maybe 7 or 8 times. I've been patted down three or four times, each time by a female agent. They treated me like any other female passenger, very courteously and very professionally. Once at National Air[port in DC I remember a passenger of ambiguous gender presentation, and an agent asked if the passenger would preferred to be patted down by a male of female agent. I second Allie: this should not be a problem, so go for it!
BTW, sometimes when I'm underdressed with a bra, the body scanner will pick it up and I'll get a pat-down by a male agent. "Sir, are you wearing a brace?" "No, it's a bra." "Oh."
As far as I know, a bra is not an instrument of terrorism...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] Proud member of the Lacey Leigh Fan Club
The pat downs I have been through as Richelle have always been down by a female agent. One time it was caused by the bling on my top around by breast so she even asked if I wanted to have it down behind the screen.
It should always be the same gender as you are presenting. That is your right
Richelle
I just went through this about two weeks ago. I was asked if I preferred a male or female. Told her I didn't care. She just checked my knee because of the screws. Painless non- event.
I know enough to know I don't know enough.
Peace
I have not flown totally en femme, yet, but when I was returning from Boston a few months ago I thought 'what the heck, I will fully underdress and see what happens'. I was wearing panties, thigh highs, pettipants (so my size 12 jeans would slide over the tops of the thigh highs without grabbing them), a bra, forms and a camisole. Stood in one of those big round glass tubes and put up hands while the gizmo goes around you - it beeped. They signaled me to go out, and since I was en drab a guy came over. He described what he was going to do. He ran his hands down my legs, then said turn around. He did it again - and I resisted the urge to say "was it good for you?". The he described that he would run his hands lightly down my back, which he gently did. He paused a couple times, then I heard him talking softly to a lady agent who was watching, asking her something, then she stepped over, ran her hands down, too, then said "yes". When they had me turn around I got to see the scanner picture, which had black-outs where the forms were in my bra, and also some darkness showed where my thigh high tops were.
Last year I flew from Sydney to Dubai. At the airport i was selected to pass through the full body scanner. I was amused to see that the idealised image was that of a female, showing a couple of metal objects. The only female clothes i was wearing were full brief cotton panties and knee high compression stockings (it was a 14 hour flight after all!). How did they know?
Flown pretty for two trips, full get-up (heels, forms, wig, light makeup), stopped once both times, once outbound and once returning. Both were with female agents. One was basically just a quick touch on my shoulder blade, the other was a explosives residue check. The residue check was a basic swipe of various bits of my clothes and then her glove was scanned by some machine. Going to be flying pretty again in a few weeks, hopefully will avoid any pat-downs this trip, but not really worried about.
I have flown en femme and when I was patted down it was always done by a female agent. This was not a choice I made, the agent would come up to me and inform me she was going to do a pat down.
This year I started flying en femme and I have done it for a total of 8 times. Five of those times I was patted down. Three times exclusively around the back shoulder area. Once exclusively right above the breasts, and the last time I got patted down in 3 places, above the breast area, in the back shoulder area and on the thighs. So flying en femme I have been patted down 62.5% of the time. The 4 times I flew en drab this year, I was never patted down. I estimate en drab it has probably been about ten percent of the time.
My conclusion, if you fly en femme, your chances of a pat down go up dramatically. I do not like the pat down, but this will not stop me from flying en femme.
The TSA agents were always professional in their approach.
Posting Permissions
