Friday 25 September 2015

Transgender woman delayed at airport for ‘anomaly’ in her image on X-ray security scanner

Shadi Petosky with tears at the airport   (C)ShadiPetosky/Twitter
Shadi Petosky was said to be returning from a vacation in Orlando, Fl. when she was stopped at the airport, and then detained by Transportation Security Administration agents because of an "anomaly" in her image on an X-ray security scanner, the CBS News reports. Petosky who is transgender described through her Twitter account how TSA agents took her aside to a private room where they asked her about her genitals.
After waiting alone in the private room, Petosky says that a TSA agent named "Bramlet" entered the room and asked her to return to the scanning machine "as a man or it would be a problem." The scanner currently used in U.S. airports doesn't show details on a person's body, it only highlights possible dangers.
These scanners have male or female options, according to Mashable, but do not have settings for transgender individuals. The settings can impact which shapes prompt alerts, and have indeed created problems in the past.

A sketch of the anomaly on the flagging screen    (C)ShadiPetosky/Twitter

The advocacy group is involved in a lawsuit against the TSA, demanding that it develops clear rules and regulations around the scanner's use.
After going through an intensive security search, Petosky had missed her American Airlines flight and needed to re-book. When she attempted to approach the proper gate to do so, a TSA agent allegedly asked her to leave the airport.
"American Airlines immediately rebooked Ms. Petosky on the next available flight – at no charge – to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport," Ross Feinstein said.



1 comment:

  1. cant blame the scanner though. even humans are confused!

    ReplyDelete