
Flying While Trans - js2
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/opinion/tsa-transgender.html
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dubcanada
Sadly the TSA and really any screening process is all about trying to find
abnormalities. There is no way around it, using their example if you "look"
like a female and are wearing baggy underwear while 99.9% of females do not.
That is an abnormality. That alone won't trigger anything, but a combination
of things (purely statistics) should require a search of some sort.

I don't think the issue is with that, I think the issue is with how it is
handled and what the "search" is.

Nobody ever wants to be singled out, and no one wants to be that 0.01%. But
the sad truth is, some people will be, and just based on the amount the 0.01%
will be the minority.

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d6e
And to those who think 0.01% may sound like it'd be a rare occurrence, LAX,
for example, averaged 164k passengers per day in 2006 which means
approximately 1643 of the passengers were in this 0.01% minority. 1643
occurrences per day is quite common.

I've also been frequently flagged in the past for not fitting in the TSA's
narrow gender model to the point of getting Precheck at the cost of my privacy
and money. It's very frustrating.

~~~
envoked
Not to take away from your point but 0.01% of 164k is ~17.

Edit:

I didn't want to be a jerk so I decided to look it up. Looks like NYT[1] has
the number at 0.6% (probably higher in reality since it's self reported) so
that's about 1000 people a day.

Also stats offer little comfort when you're part of that group and it happens
to you 100% of the time.

[1][https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/health/transgender-
popula...](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/health/transgender-
population.html)

~~~
lightgreen
It’s probably lower in reality since it’s phone poll and minorities are
probably more likely to participate in polls.

~~~
AprilArcus
> minorities are probably more likely to participate in polls

on what basis do you believe that to be the case?

~~~
lightgreen
Just my humble experience. Any minorities (e. g. people of minor nations, like
Icelanders) always try to remind everyone of own existence. Which is not a bad
thing, and this is maybe untrue, but this could be an explanation of possible
trans-people overrepresentation.

