Quote Originally Posted by ReineD View Post
. . . People can be sticklers when citing rules, but in practice it is another matter.

Also, Sandra has a good point. If your passport and ticket indicate "M", then there is no issue. It is not up to the CATSA to comment on your hair length or clothing choices. People change their hair length and color, men grow and shave beards, etc.

FYI, the exact wording of the law is as follows:

5.2 (1) An air carrier shall not transport a passenger if
(a) the passenger presents a piece of photo identification and does not resemble the photograph;
(b) the passenger does not appear to be the age indicated by the date of birth on the identification he or she presents;
(c) the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents; or

I think the intent is to prevent a person from using someone else's passport as their own for nefarious reasons... I don't take it that the law is preventing someone from appearing in the manner they choose.
Hi Reine,

I agree in principle and from other feedback received from a local TG support group . . . there have been few issues with "trans" persons flying while presenting in the opposite gender from their travel documentation. Specifically, if you look like your photo ID even while dressed (i.e., you don't pass whatsoever) it is unlikely they will prevent you from boarding as it is a touchy subject. However this is a lot of "might, should, may, can". Others have said, if the letter of the regulation is applied "the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents" it can be left up the CSTSA agent to interpret what that means as there is no policy on the CSTSA site for transgender travel. So if I happen upon a ticketing agent or CSTSA employee who looks at me and says . . . "you are presenting as a woman and your ID says male . . . no flight for you" I can certainly ask to see a supervisor but if they side with the agent then I am out of luck and arguing the point will only be me ejected from the airport as a safety concern.

So while the wording may have been designed with the best intentions to ensure some terrorist does not slip through disguised as a woman the interpretation is too broad. Hence the reason why the two dimwits I talked to yesterday interpreted the regulation as unless I am TS with the working parts removed or have a doctor's letter saying I am going through the process . . . I can't fly while presenting myself as a woman regardless of how poorly I pass. BTW I just checked my ticket from my outbound flights to Washington from Canada and nowhere is "gender" even indicated.

Quote Originally Posted by Gillian Gigs View Post
. . . If we want safety, then we all have a price to pay, whether we like it or not.
Hi Gillian,

My gender presentation has nothing to do with "safety" and everything to do with IMHO providing a poorly worded regulation which could provide the opportunity for some CSTSA employee or ticketing agent to discriminate at will. I have to ponder the question why a security risk would go through all the trouble to disguise himself as a woman only to present "male" identification when boarding a flight . . . hmmm seems a bit counterintuitive . . . "yes I know it says male on my passport but trust me I am a woman, nudge, nudge, wink, wink".

Regarding "giving up rights" for the sake of safety . . . are you serious? I get so tired of people throwing that Conservative tripe about restricting basic human rights for the greater good BS. Don't fool yourself, whenever we give up basic rights in the name of "freedom and or safety" we become less free and less safe. I am in the military and have seen first hand what curtailed freedom and rights do in other countries . . . funny how my TG status is never an issue when it is time go deploy for the sake of freedom.

Hugs

Isha