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A Transgender Woman Live-Tweeted Her Airport Security Nightmare

She says she was told her body was an 'anomaly' and was asked to 'get back into the machine as a man.'

On Monday afternoon (Sept. 21), a transgender woman named Shadi Petosky took to Twitter to vent about a nightmarish airport plight. But this wasn’t just a trivial complaint about slow wi-fi or overpriced coffee — her story chronicled the shocking discrimination she faced at the hands of TSA officers for having what they allegedly called an “anomaly” of a body.

Petosky, a comics writer and producer at interactive media studio PUNY, was detained at Orlando International Airport while attempting to fly to Minneapolis. While going through security, she claims TSA officers asked her about her sex, told her to “get back into the machine as a man,” and eventually asked her to leave the airport.

Here’s her account of how the events unfolded.

Petosky began by expressing frustration and confusion about the way she was being treated.

She says she was left alone in a room while an officer held the door. TSA agents allegedly dodged her question about having been trained in trans issues.

It became increasingly more difficult for her to send updates after her phone was taken for screening.

After 40 minutes and two full-body pat downs, she tweeted that she’d been released, but she had already missed her flight.

While on a quest to re-book her flight, Petosky was told to pull herself together, and was asked to leave the airport.

An American Airlines agent allegedly tried to lecture her on what she ought to do next time she travels.

Petosky then shared more upsetting details about what had happened during her detainment.

In a confusing twist, American Airlines tweeted at Petosky, apologizing and saying they’re glad she re-booked — but she replied saying she actually hadn’t been successful yet.

Eventually, she did board a flight to Miami.

And the TSA has said it is investigating the situation.

Meanwhile, other transgender people have been sharing similar stories using the hashtag #travelingwhiletrans, shedding even more light on the struggles trans people face while traveling.

The TSA does address screening procedures for transgender persons on the FAQ section of its website, saying, “Transgender persons should use the name and gender that appears on their government-issued ID when making flight reservations and at the security checkpoint.” It also notes that “screening can be conducted in a private screening area with a witness or companion. You may request private screening or to speak with a supervisor at any time during the screening process.”

According to The National Center for Transgender Equality, TSA scanners use something called Automatic Target Recognition that analyzes the scan image of a body. It notes that this software “could register body contours not typical for a person’s gender as anomalies,” though the center wasn’t aware of any instances of that happening. Until now, it seems.

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