Tsoron- Your sig tells me all I can expect from you as well as your strategy and the futility of reasoning with you.

I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm the one who started it, with questions about how I was going to get through the checkpoint in a post-surgical back brace. Well, I'm at the airport for my return trip now, and made it through security both coming and going. The first leg was not quite as bad as I was afraid it would be - but it wasn't a treat either. The second was awful. And yes, I did encounter one TSO supervisor who was a total jerk. I also was definitely sexually assaulted during the second (well, actually third) frisk.

I was able to grab both experiences in audio recording on my cellphone, but the audio is not very good so I'm going to have to play with them to see if I can get them to the point where you can hear the conversations well. The second recording is better than the first, because my cellphone was closer to where they were frisking me.

So, I flew out of BUR, which has only WTMD. I wasn't sure if my new metal parts in my spine would set off the detector, but sure 'nuff, they did. :( I had nothing metal on me whatsoever, so it was definitely my spinal rods and pins that caused it to beep.

I was immediately let to a big glass box, which is a disconcerting experience in itself. You can’t help but feel like a criminal on display when you are forcibly led to a glassed-in holding pen, while the rest of the world gets to walk around you and stare. I was not asked if I wanted a private grope, nor did I request one.

The TSO who frisked me was a young girl, who happened to already be there so there was no wait. She asked me what this was around my middle (my back brace). I explained it to her, and explained that I’d just had major back surgery, have two fresh and very tender incisions on my lower spine, and can tolerate no touching of the area back there. She said she wasn’t comfortable attempting to clear the back brace herself, so she would have to get the supervisor.

The supe was a 30-ish guy who seemed to relish his role as all-important-officer-who-gets-to-call-the-shots. While the girl was kind and almost apologetic, he was brusque, gruff, and snarly. He asked me what I was wearing, and I again explained. He told me that they were going to have to “clear” it. I said fine, as long as the clearing doesn’t involve removing it, or touching me underneath it. But he wouldn’t acknowledge that – he just began to argumentatively say “Ma’am, we’re going to have to clear it in whatever way we decide is necessary, or you won’t be able to fly.” I said, “Can you please explain to me what you mean by ‘clear it’?” He refused to answer, and just kept repeating, a couple times even interrupting my questions, with “we’re going to have to clear it in whatever what need to, or you won’t be able to fly.” So much for telling us what they’re going to do to us in advance! I tried asking him if they would be clearing it only visually, or if it would need to be touched, moved, or removed, but he just kept repeating his refrain.

Finally I just said, “Fine, please get started, but I need to warn you in advance that if my lower back is touched in any way, I will cry out in pain.” He stood there and watched as the girl began her frisk. Fortunately, before she got done with my arms, he walked out of the glass box to talk to another TSO, so he didn’t watch the whole thing. When he walked out, the girl whispered to me, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” She then ran her hands so lightly over the exterior of the brace that I didn’t even feel it – no pressure at all. The back of the brace is a big rigid sheet of plastic, so unless you press on it, I can’t feel it at all. She didn’t stick her hands up under it, didn’t move it, didn’t attempt to touch any of my skin above or below it. Kudos to her!

The rest of her frisk was pretty non-invasive too – no hair or face touching, just a very light hand down my arms starting about ½ way down my upper arms. No buttocks touching. Hands starting about ½ way down my thighs, moving downwards. One side of hand between my breasts, then underneath, without ever actually touching any part of my breast.

She did a couple of swabs of the exterior of the brace, tested them, then I was done. The supe walked back over when she was at my legs, so he missed almost the whole thing. I still cannot understand why he was being such a di*k to me earlier – for what purpose?

The girl helped me get my shoes back on (bending down is a challenge for me!) and even helped me gather my things and get myself set to leave, and I was on my way. So, other than the creep supe, it was a non-event.

OKC was a different experience. Again, I set off the WTMD. The male TSO walked me over to the side behind a glass wall and called for a female assist, who took a few minutes to arrive (and she stopped to stack up some trays first, leaving me standing there without my cane, which was in the tray nearby. When she finally came over, she told me I was going to have to take off the brace and run it through the x-ray. I told her that it was a medical device, so I was not going to remove it, and I explained about my surgery. She said she’d never seen one before, and wasn’t sure she’d be able to clear it, but she would do her best. She asked if I wanted a private room, which I declined, and she began her grope. This one was only slightly more intrusive than BUR – she did touch my buttocks, but no actual contact with my breasts. She lightly touched the exterior of the brace, and took some swabs of it and ran them through the tester.

Then she walked over and huddled with two other TSOs for a few minutes. No word to me, just left me there. Finally a male TSO came over, and I asked him what was going on. He said she wasn’t comfortable clearing the brace, because of the rigid back – she couldn’t tell if I was carrying prohibited items in there – so she was calling for a supervisor. I commented that it’s a shame that it’s really only the disabled and elderly who are subjected to all this, and he just shrugged. Waited some more, and I said, “y’know, I just came from watching my son graduate from Army combat training. He’s now a soldier, defending my freedom to travel.” TSO said, “I understand, and we’re defending your freedom to travel safely.” I wanted to ask him how many terrorists either he, or TSA as a whole, had caught, but I figured it wouldn’t help me get through this any faster.

After a few minutes, a female supervisor came over to “clear” my brace. I again had to explain what it was, and why I was wearing it. She said she was going to have to pat me down again. And her pat-down was…whoa. I should probably name the baby after her.

She ran her fingers through my hair, which made me VERY uncomfortable, and I said, “my hair??” She replied that she had to clear anything she couldn’t see. What couldn’t she see? I have shoulder-length wavy hair, not teased or poofed up or anything (in fact it was pretty flat on my head, due to this dry Oklahoma air). I can see NO valid reason for doing this, other than to exert power over me and make me feel subjugated and dominated. Then she began on the rest of me. She rubbed the back of her hands complete round each breast, touching the outsides of them, which I also disliked intensely. Nobody has touched me there for decades except for my husband and my doctor. I am wearing a thin t-shirt and a bra, and I just don’t see why she had to touch my breasts themselves.

She then moved to the back brace and began PRESSING on the back of it, which caused the hard plastic shell to push up against my still-swollen incisions, and it HURT! I said “OUCH, please stop pressing back there!” and she stopped, and moved down to my buttocks, which she rubbed thoroughly with the backs of both hands, then put her hands in between my thighs near the top (almost, but not quite, touching my labia) and moved down. But the worst was when she then moved to my front – she ran the back of her hand OVER MY PUBIS! I’m wearing tight stretchy leggings, which could not hide anything. There can be no reason for anyone to touch my pubis, other than to either attempt to sexually arouse me, or to arouse themselves. That is the most intimate part of me that can be accessed on the outside of my body, and she touched it.

She took MORE swabs of the brace, then told me I was done. At least she helped me with my shoes and getting my things together. I suppose that's the least you can do for someone with whom you just had intimate sexual contact. :rolleyes:

It was a flat-out sexual assault, and I feel raped. A stranger purposely touched my genitals, and I feel like crying.

The worst part is, this morning I sat in an auditorium and cried in pride for my son, who is now officially a US soldier, defending my (our) freedom to NEVER have to be subjected to something like this. And yet I was…by my own government.

If anyone suggests I should have done something about it, I would like to remind you that I am currently disabled. I’m not in a position to be able to be hauled off to some holding pen for defying this out-of-control agency. I’m in pain all the time, wobbly on my feet, I tire easily, and after two days of celebrating with my son, then having to say a tearful goodbye to him as he goes off for 3 more months of training (during which I won’t be able to see him), I’m exhausted and just want to go home. I’m angry as hell, but I have been terrorized into allowing them to have their way with me sexually, and not do anything about it.

I do hope that the TSOs reading this, realize how offensive this is. For God’s sake, go get a decent job where you don’t have to physically and sexually harass disabled mothers and innocent civilians! You should all be ashamed of yourselves.

First, I am sorry you got put through this.

Second, with the exception of the back brace (which I thankfully do not have), this is exactly how my opt out gropes have been, labia touched, breasts most definitely touched and my short (jaw length bob) hair "examined."

I know we have some really decent TSA folks here, please help me understand why this happens.

Glad you are home safe and sound now.

According to gsoltso, none of those things should be happening on a standard patdown. So why are they? that is simple assault if they are going beyond the standard.

Clear a back brace by swabbing, fine. Through in a boob grope and brushing genitals, NOT fine. Totally unrelated. Obviously TSA considers any "clearing" screening like that to be a free shot on your sexual organs.

LeeAnne,

This is so disgusting I don't even know what to say except that I am so sorry you had to go through this.

There is absolutely no way that this can be explained away by any TSO. It happened, they can not deny it.

I would encourage you to tell your story to Chaffetz, Cissna and any others who will listen and appear to be working this cause from the right side.

Another liar working for TSA.

How long can any nation endure when it does this to the mothers of its soldiers, and indeed, to its soldiers themselves?

Pshaw, they'll deny it, but first they'll mock her as having a "privacy concern", as if being sexually assaulted was no more than that.

What happened to you was a crying shame and a crime. It also is pretty much par for the course when dealing with TSA.

You are wasting your time hoping that any TSOs reading this will change their behavior. They already realize how offensive the whole process was for you and will be for others. The thing is: not a single one of them gives a damn.

I second this - especially Chaffetz.

And while I realize it's not going to do much good, I would still send a letter to the FSDs of the airports, with copies to the TSA and DHS and the DHS OIG, and perhaps your Congressional representatives.

I too am very sorry and saddened to read about your experience and I understand the feelings knowing a loved one is serving to defend the Constitution while TSA is denying us a basic right to be secure in our own person, much less have our personal effect secured. My nephew graduated from USMC bootcamp in January, and that was the only ticket I didn't cancel. I couldn't reconcile the fact that he could be killed fulfilling his oath to "...support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." while TSA demands we give up our Constitutional rights if we wish to travel by public transport. I still can't reconcile the two.

I am glad you are back home and that you were able to see your son graduate.

and be sure to contact ACLU and EPIC. If you have the means your personal attorney also.

Yep. Unfortunately absolutely true.
:mad:

LeeAnn, I am so sorry this happened to you. Please send an e-mail to:

[email protected]

about your experience. Be as explicit as you were in your post, and, if you remember, state the time you went through the checkpoint, as well as any names and/or descriptions of the people who assaulted you.

I am so sorry to hear you had this experience! This is really ironic, I set off the WTMD this week for the first time since having surgical bars put in 7 years ago. I wasn't flying, just bought a refundable ticket to accompany a non-english speaking friend to the gate. It was CAE, so no peek-a-booths and barely even a pat down, just some sighs when I explained what I was doing. It seems like maybe they've cranked the WTMD's up all the way now. Sorry to hear about this experience, this entire situation just gets more infuriating every day.

I followed this thread and was so hoping you would have an uneventful trip! I'm certainly disgusted by the sexual assault, but the pressing on your back brace bothers me on another level... it almost sounds like the intent was to cause a painful outcry in order to verify that you weren't faking. This would explain why they wouldn't explain the "clearing" process to you. Someday someone's going to get seriously injured by this crap.

Anyway, it's sick, and perverse. I'm sorry.