https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13788721
Last Sunday when I flew out from Boston, I opted out as usual and the TSA officer mentioned that I'd be subject to a new pat down, called the universal pat down. (I was not subject to this version of the pat-down the day before, on Saturday).
Honestly, the only difference between that pat-down and all my previous pat-downs was the way they approached my groin area.
Previously they'd put one hand on each side of my leg and go up until they made contact with my genitals. Then they'd repeat with the other leg. Sometimes, but this was rare, they'd push up a bit into the area.
This time, in addition to the normal pat-down procedure, the officer interlocked his hands and then rubbed my genitals, first vertically, moving horizontally, and then horizontally, moving vertically.
This is just horrifying. I am not sure but I think they can 'randomly' subject you to this even if you don't alarm the scanner. I tend to be one of those people subjected to 'random' searches by the TSA more often than most people.
Until this new 'more intimate' (whatever they mean by that vague phrase -- could it mean anything other than more genital contact?) patdown has been clarified by more travelers subjected to it I would err on the side of caution and just choose to change/cancel my ticket and exit the airport if chosen for a random patdown. Then I'd try my luck again another day.
Luckily I have never had a problem with the MMW scanners alarming and the milllimeter wave tech and cartoonish displays don't bother me. So I don't opt out. I'm more concerned being randomly selected for a search. Actually I tend to travel with lots of computer parts in my carry-ons and I have been selected for body searches for that reason. So I am probably a lot more likely to have problems with this than many of you.
Another option if you are like me and it is the same-sex nature of the molestation that is most disturbing is to 'present yourself'
as a transgender person . Hopefully I would not need to actually dress up as a woman in order to pull this off. My plan would just be to tell them in a falsetto voice that I am a pre-op transexual and that I am mentally female and would like to request a female screener do the patdown.
Even if they don't buy it at the very least by doing this we could clarify what their actual rules are by testing them. If it didn't work I'd have to ask for my things and make sure I get my passport and boarding pass back and then just walk away and leave the airport.
I don't think I've posted about my experience here yet but I was the victim of TSA-inspired (for a flight to the US) sexual molestation and it really did cause me lasting mental trauma. It was just awful. More awful than I even imagined it would be before it happened to me. I would really encourage anyone who might willingly subject themselves to this new 'more intimate' molestation to choose a no fly option instead.