Humiliation of women at airports is nothing new. This story reports that there were 52 women, but I think there were actually 87. They settled for $1.9 million. I wonder if anyone at the TSA even knows about this case.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9806/08/strip.search/

Discrimination alleged in Customs searches

Black women say they were singled out unfairly

June 8, 1998
Web posted at: 10:10 p.m. EDT (0210 GMT)
From Correspondent Patty Davis

CHICAGO (CNN) -- A group of black women have filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Customs Service alleging that they were unfairly targeted for searches at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

The lawsuit alleges that as many as 52 black women were subjected to pat-downs and intrusive searches at the airport when they returned from trips.

The suit seeks to change the Customs Service's non-routine search policy and seeks actual and punitive damages. Ed Fox, the attorney who filed the suit, said none of the searches turned up anything illegal.

"The Customs agents are racially discriminating against blacks and targeting them for being strip-searched. And coupled with that, they are doing body searches, body cavity searches, pat-down strip searches without the appropriate legal cause that they need to undertake a search like that," he said.

Jacqueline Jones was returning from Germany when Customs agents pulled her aside, checked her bags and ordered a strip search. She said she was taken to a room that looked like a "South American torture chamber."

"I was so afraid I didn't know what they were going to do," she said. "So I go there, I'm standing against the wall, all of a sudden I've got my legs spread, the woman searches me. This is a full body type search -- breast all the way down -- including putting her hand between my legs."

Gwendolyn Richards was returning from Jamaica when Customs officials took her to a hospital in handcuffs.

"I was on the table with my legs in the stirrups, and the doctor checked me out and she basically told me that I was clean," she said.

Customs officials acknowledge that the searches were conducted but deny that race has anything to do with who they choose to search.

"We do have the legal right to do what we do," said Irene Prince of the Customs Service. "The good guys sometimes get caught up with the bad guys. And I wish that people would understand that we're here trying to do a job."

That is little comfort for Richards.

"You can never give me enough to compensate for what I feel in here," she said, pointing to her chest.

We need these lawyers to get on the TSA, ASAP!

LAX

Logically, it has never been possible without significant cost and wait times; I included that quote to show that one cannot believe everything that one reads online.... ;) I won't say 'everybody lies', but sometimes people post things which may not be correct.

+1

WAIT.

Now leggings is your reason? Dresses, skirts, kilts, 'bulky' clothing, and now leggings??!!! What is the rationale for this please? Leggings are definitely not bulky.

I saw something similar happen in Albuquerque early in the month.

While in line I was watching who got sent through the scanner. The only two men I saw scanned looked sort of "rough" - scraggly beards, long unkept hair, dressed "rough"... no other men were scanned in the 10 minutes I was in line.

As I looked at the line, I saw 8 women who I thought were attractive. They were the only other ones scanned while I was in line.

Creepy.

According to our TSOs, women will be selected for wearing
- sweaters
- sweatshirts
- skirts
- dresses
- kilts
- leggings
- leg warmers
AND any clothing they personally consider 'bulky'

That clearly doesn't leave much if both form fitting and loose clothing makes their list.

Something is very wrong here, and at least many of us can see it.

Clearly they just want us naked. No, wait, can't do that either. I guess maybe the TSA officially considers women in general to be inconvenient?

Now add those other uniquely female inconveniences such as sanitary napkins, breasts larger than an A cup, breast implants, prosthetic breasts, etc and I can see how we make life so difficult for them. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately the percentage of female frequent flyers is lower than male, and while we have had many new women join us here I don't think that the outrage is being heard yet in the wider world.

Yeah, I kind of hadn't previously known that my choice of "sanitary feminine product" (read: bloodcatcher!) apparently makes me suspect, too.

But really, they're not sexist. Everybody lies.

I'm sorry and I don't mean to "high-jack" the thread since this slightly off topic but is it true that this can happen to someone at a border? I know this doesn't relate to TSA but it is absolutely nauseating.

I think what might be worse is the cavalier reply from "Irene Prince". What if that were her monther or daughter? I would hope that they had DAMN good reasonable suspicion to do that to someone.

"Gwendolyn Richards was returning from Jamaica when Customs officials took her to a hospital in handcuffs.

"I was on the table with my legs in the stirrups, and the doctor checked me out and she basically told me that I was clean," she said.

Customs officials acknowledge that the searches were conducted but deny that race has anything to do with who they choose to search.

"We do have the legal right to do what we do," said Irene Prince of the Customs Service. "The good guys sometimes get caught up with the bad guys. And I wish that people would understand that we're here trying to do a job."

'Baywatch' Beauty Feels Overexposed After TSA Scan
 

This was linked in a post up-thread but I think it bears re-posting as it continues to be displayed.. This kind of publicity serves to remind the public, particularly females, that neither the government nor specifically the TSA should be allowed to deny the feelings of citizens as a matter of policy.

D'Errico has made a very strong case both for her and her son in this regard.

(Dec. 6) -- A former "Baywatch" beauty is feeling overexposed after going through what she says was a humiliating body scan by Transportation Security Administration agents at Los Angeles International Airport.

Donna D'Errico, who was the Playboy Playmate in September 1995, says she got a few leers along with the scan and isn't happy about it.

D'Errico, 42, says the encounter occurred at LAX while trying to catch a flight to Pittsburgh with her son, Rhyan, 17.

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/ar...est=latestnews

I'm on her side. But a Playboy Playmate has a history of getting more than a "few leers". Leers are the entire reason for having Playboy Playmates. I'm not even against the leers, but I guess she'd make the case she never had to SEE the men drooling and leering. And I guess that makes it more palateable alright.

What makes it more palatable is that she chose to be in Playboy, knowing what the likely consequences were. She did not choose to become... let's be polite and say "fantasy" fodder for a bunch of juvenile male TSO's.

Don't forget hormone patches. I imagine those would show up as anomalies as well!

You know, it might just be the women that have the ability to bring down the TSA. I still say that TSA is no match for PMS. I think I'm going to have a T-shirt made up with that on it. :D