News

I would like all of my sex +++ friends to know of a serious incident regarding the TSA in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on December 10, 2010.  

At approximately 3:30 a.m. on December 10, 2010, I entered the security area of Terminal 2 of O’Hare Airport in Chicago.  The TSA agents at Terminal 2, U.S. Airways, were sending everyone through the scanner.  I “opted out” of going through the body scanner.  

I was wearing a sheer, white undershirt and sheer, white beach pants with a button-up dress as a jacket. I was ordered to remove my dress [to be x-rayed](?!), and was told to wait next to the scanner (!) for a female agent to pat me down. I waited 10 minutes in completely sheer white garments (no bra or panties to avoid setting off the metal detector or having someone’s fingers down my panties). I was virtually naked in front of everyone.

Everyone entering Terminal 2 could see my naked body under my sheer clothing. No privacy was used at all.  All passengers entering security and 5 loitering janitorial crew stared at my breasts, nipples, buttocks and genitalia through my sheer white garments. My dress was not returned to me until the TSA horror show was finished, 45 minutes later.

When an obese female TSA agent finally arrived to pat me down, she took one look at me and yelled to another TSA agent “I ain’t pattin’ her down. YOU do it!” The other agent, another female, ignored Agent H. Resigned, Agent H approached me.  I asked her to put on fresh gloves before patting me down. She told me she had fresh gloves on, but I asked to SEE her put on fresh gloves. She put on clean gloves, snapping them angrily. She patted me down then, as she walked away, I politely asked her if the gloves were latex (I am seriously allergic to latex). Agent H got visibly angry and, in response, indicated loudly that I was “alarming.”  (That began the advanced security procedures).

At that point, 5 TSA Agents swarmed me.  I was ordered by an older woman (who informed me that I was “alarming”) to remain standing, still basically naked, in front of everyone going through security (including children). The five janitorial staff were watching (and, I think, taking photos) the entire time. After 10 minutes of standing proudly and unashamed, Agent H (who seemed angry that I did not seem upset, humiliated or embarrassed) ordered me to sit down on a filthy white chair they had brought to the open area.  The chair appeared as if someone had stepped on the chair with dirty sneakers.  No one offered to wipe it off, so I sat on the edge to avoid getting my sheer, white beach pants dirty. Everyone in Terminal 2 could see me sitting, nearly naked, in the security area.

Four additional agents processed me. One older male agent took everything out of my bags to be X-rayed. He swabbed my shoes. He informed me that they found “explosive residue” on my white gym shoes(!!!) which apparently triggered a more intrusive search.

Another agent, a younger male, informed me that they found suspicious “residue” and asked me if I was on medication. “Vitamins,” I told him.  Then he asked if I used moisturizers, creams, lotions, soaps, etc. “Uhm, yes,” I answered (thinking, was this guy for real???). He left and came back with my airline-approved liquids bag.  He pointed to the bottle of shampoo, clearly marked, and asked me what it was.  “Shampoo,” I replied.  He then told me he had to test my shampoo. I did not object. I remained quiet, calm and sat proud and straight. The fact that I was not nervous and appeared calm and patient seemed to irritate the TSA agents a great deal. They seemed to try to do everything in their power to upset and/or humiliate me. 

Agent H X-rayed my stuff, out of my sight. The older female TSA agent informed me that I needed to be patted down again, in private, and took me to a small “interrogation” room with Agent H and my boyfriend, as a witness (he had been watching everything). As we walked to the “interrogation” room, the older agent brought all my stuff. She told Agent H to sit in the only chair in the room and document the procedure.

I was ordered to stand and spread my legs and arms. The older agent (NOT Agent H) patted me down, and seemed embarrassed when she “accidentally pulled my pants down and exposed my genitalia and buttocks, but she did not pull them up. I was required to keep my arms and legs spread and I could not pull my pants up. Agent H, whose anger over my glove question started this whole episode, was visibly shaking and seemed not to know what to do. She wrote my name on a sheet of paper, then traced my name several times while I was patted down.   She wrote nothing else during the intrusive search.

Swabs were taken of the gloves used to pat me down, and then tested on the machine in the interrogation room. The machine indicated nothing was found (“clear” or some other similar word flashed on the screen), and the older agent said the machine wasn’t working properly and that she had to use the machine in the security area. She left. 

She then returned a few minutes later. Suddenly, I was then told I could pull up my pants and leave.

Afterward, my boyfriend and I got breakfast, then we went to our gate. I took my jewelry bag out of my purse so that I could put my jewelry on, and discovered that my silver charm bracelet was missing.

I immediately returned to the security checkpoint for my bracelet. Every agent who had checked my bags helped search for my missing bracelet EXCEPT Agent H. She was at the X-ray machine. She saw me standing, waiting. She waived at me from her chair. I just stared at her. My bracelet was never found.

When I arrived in Hawaii and got to my room, I discovered that my shampoo bottle had been left open and spilled all over the contents of my bag.

I sent an online complaint to TSA the following day (while on vacation).  They have not responded to my complaint.  I sent an online letter to you over a week ago and have not yet received a response. 

I am horrified at what America has become. This practice has to stop. TSA are acting as NAZI agents and we, citizens of America, are being treated as criminals and worse. Please fight to stop this madness. I, for one, will never fly again. I feel as if I have affectively been locked behind the “iron curtain” of America.