U.S. Airport Information
Identification And Gender While At Security
All passengers 18 years of age or older are required to provide proof of identity at check-in and at the security checkpoint. TSA rules require that you provide your name, gender, and date of birth when making an airline reservation. The name, gender, and date of birth included in your reservation must match your passport. The Secure Flight program checks this information against government watch lists, and gender information is used to eliminate false matches with the same or similar names – not to evaluate a person’s gender. TSA Travel Document Checkers will check as you enter security to ensure that information on your passport matches your boarding pass. It does not matter whether your current gender presentation matches the gender marker on your passport, and TSA officers should not comment on this.
Sometimes travelers have their tickets booked for them by other people. When this happens, you should make sure that the person booking your tickets uses the information on your passport. The gender marker on your boarding pass must match your passport.
What About Airport Body Scanners?
Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) is TSA’s term for devices it uses to scan the contours of the human body to look for things under a person’s clothing that might be dangerous items. TSA will not disclose details of how ATR detects anomalies, however in some cases, ATR software can register body contours not typical for a person’s gender as anomalies. Foreign objects such as prosthetics, binding garments, or even paper or change left in a pocket will commonly register as anomalies requiring further screening. Often this consists of a limited pat-down of the area(s) where an anomaly was detected, however it can potentially involve a complete pat-down.
You may opt out of AIT scans at any time, but if you do opt out of AIT screening, you will be required to undergo a thorough pat-down.
If you choose a pat-down to avoid the AIT machines or if the TSA agents require one for another reason, the pat-down must be performed by an officer of the same gender as the traveler. This is based on your gender presentation. The gender listed on your identification documents and boarding passes should not matter for pat-downs, and you should not be subjected to personal questions about your gender. If TSA officers are unsure of who should pat you down, they should ask you discreetly and respectfully. Additionally, travelers may ask for a private screening at any time. You may take a witness of your choosing with you when you are being privately screened.
All baggage must go through the screening process. If a traveler has any medical equipment or prostheses in a carry-on bag, the items will be allowed through the checkpoint after the traveler completes the screening process. If a bag must be opened by an officer to resolve an alarm, the traveler may ask that bags be screened in private.
Travelers should never be required to lift, remove, or raise an article of clothing to reveal a prosthetic item and should not be asked to remove it. This applies to binding items, breast forms, and other prosthetics. If a TSA officer asks you to reveal a prosthetic item, ask to speak to a supervisor and calmly explain the situation.
- FlyRights is a free app available for iPhone and Android smartphones. It provides a way to immediately file a report of an incident of discrimination with TSA and DHS when it occurs.
Note: Information provided by http://www.transequality.org/know-your-rights/airport-security