TSA Releases New Guidelines for Trans Airline Passengers

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) last week released new guidance for its agents and travelers to improve the airport screening process for transgender fliers.

A video posted on YouTube attempted to recognize transgender traveler needs, and offered answers to questions and concerns about screening procedures, after the agency received a barrage of criticism over how it treats LBGTQ passengers.

Last year, the National LGBTQ Task Force said the TSA had codified “discrimination against transgender people” by leveraging widespread use of body-scanning technology that identified passengers by their perceived gender.

The new video asks passengers to ensure their boarding pass information matches the information on their government-issued ID, and advises they can choose not to be screened by a full-body screener or walk-through metal detector, but instead undergo a pat-down conducted by an officer of the same gender they present, in private.