Question about TSA Agents and Homosexuality

[Invycktus]

Hello AM'tards,

The other day at PHL I noticed the strangest thing ever. This TSA agent was standing at the second checkpoint, after the full body scanner machine and was performing pat-downs on "screened candidates" based on the results of the machine.

It was not so much the fact that it was a patdown that bothered some of my fellow travellers, but more so his orientation that disturbed them. Not trying to be judgemental, but it was quite obvious what his preferences were, his mannerisms and behaviors indicated that and the pink scarf he carried. One of my pals, got screened by him, which there is nothing unprofessional about, but he went on a rant at the seated TSA supervisors about how a man getting patted down by a , lets say "non straight" agent does account for forced humiliation / sexual harassment.

But this made me think what would be your opinion on this? Joke aside, would you be comfortable getting a patdown from a man who prefers men? I probably would not, and I would have asked to be screened by a different agent, but would that be politically correct? What is the proper etiquette or the procedure to deal with this? And how would you have handled this differently?

 

[DerickVonD]

The only good TSA agent is a dead one just my two cents.

 

[Invycktus]

Gonna pass thru PHL today again. I hope not to encounter him, its a bit awkward to ask for a different agent

 

[Reds91]

He was just doing his job. Would I be comfortable with it tho? Hell no.

 

[Sean1332]

In most law enforcement agencies, you can frisk/pat down/even strip search the opposite sex. With frisks and pat downs you are taught to be professional and courteous in how you conduct them and in no way is it sexual harassment. You can even conduct a strip search if you're legally allowed to with the opposite sex, although its preferred to be same sex

 

[Invycktus]

In most law enforcement agencies, you can frisk/pat down/even strip search the opposite sex. With frisks and pat downs you are taught to be professional and courteous in how you conduct them and in no way is it sexual harassment. You can even conduct a strip search if you're legally allowed to with the opposite sex, although its preferred to be same sex

But how does that work? I mean where is the line drawn? In the name of security you are literally becoming the target of a possible sexual predator,not that I am implying anything here, but can you really do this in an area as public as an airport? Where does the government protect us folks then? If the TSA allows for gays to perform pat downs, then there should be overlying implications for TSA as well. The civillian should pretty much be able to sue both the TSA and then the agent at a personal level. There is no specific way for you to ascertain whether for e.g here the TSA agent "cupped" or gropped you right, or patted you right for that matter.

I am all for open preferences of sexuality, its almost like how the EU legalized marijuana (in Portugal as far as I know), let the people decide whether they want to use or not, and then let the other people choose
they want to hang out with such folks or not. If for eg I dont want my kids to go near a person who smokes MJ, I would not want my kids to go near gay people as well, (is just an example here not my belief). I mean lets say a good pal of mine on this forum, Celorza, likes to own a fully automatic rifle, I know full AR's are not permitted in the country, so if I choose to not hang out with him, it does not mean I am discriminating, its my choice, and does not interfere with his rights or mine. Similarly TSA should make it open that the agent performing the pat down has been identified with the following sexual preferences before performing a pat down and then let proceedings occur. How they do it, is a different judicial process altogether. And maybe the quick solution to this will be that such folks be reassigned to baggage screenings only.

If the TSA or the Administration in general, allows for gays to be a part of a physical interrogation process, where the underlying premise is, everyone in a blue uniform assumes you, a passenger are guilty until proven innocent, the judiciaries should allow for the fullest possible punishment of the agents and the personnel at the higher level as well.


Ofcourse the shoe could be on the other foot as well, as funny as it sounds, the PAX can be someone who wants to be predated upon (if that is what he pleases) and chooses to behave in a specific way.

Either ways, I am not sure in my 4 years of being a roadwarrior, having flown more than 350k domestic miles coast to coast, I have ever seen the right process being followed for this.

 

[Sean1332]

If a person is acting in a law enforcement capacity then it shouldn't matter sexual preference. You can conduct their frisks in open public because it isn't that intrusive and they aren't touching inappropriately whatsoever. You can also request to be screened in private. Do you find the same problem with a male officer searching a female subject? Or vice versa. You shouldn't base who should search who off of sexual preference, nor will it ever be like that. To me I would rather be searches by a female than a male, whether he's straight or not-because I don't want a male touching me, straight or gay. So in my situation if I have the straight female searching me, same situation as the gay guy.

 

[Irish Cannon]

TSA is NOT law enforcement. They're a bunch of sh*tbags in blue pajamas and a cheesy badge. It's all a show.

To answer your question OP:

I'm not comfortable being searched by any TSA employee, but the fact is, I make the decision to travel air, and it's something I have to deal with (although I can call my congressman and senators all day long). - Until an end is put to it, it's not going to stop. The TSA is already growing in scope, and their is no end in sight.

As for TSA, men are not supposed to pat down females, and females are not supposed to pat down men. - Now you bring up the inevitable issue...what about homosexual men? Homosexual women? - But then you create a whole plethora of other questions that are not going to be addressed because of political correctness.

My wife is a flight attendant and she sees this BS a lot.

I honestly don't really even care if they're homosexual or not. It's not something I'm concerned with. I just want the entire government organization nixed.