Equality Florida Deeply Disturbed By Trans Woman's Tweets of Mistreatment At Orlando Airport
Last night a transgender woman named Shadi Petosky sent out a series of tweets describing being harassed and humiliated by the TSA at the Orlando International Airport. We are deeply disturbed by these allegations of horrible mistreatment. Gina Duncan, our Transgender Inclusion Director, has reached out to Ms. Petosky and the TSA, and we will update you as we have more information.
The tweets have sparked conversations all across social media about the harassment the transgender community can face when traveling. Many transgender people have expressed that they fear going through airport security or opt to not travel by air at all. We know the screening procedures by TSA airport security have the potential to ‘out’ transgender people and lead to potential discrimination and harassment. If you’ve had similar challenges when traveling, please reach out to gina@eqfl.org.
The TSA has left me in a room alone. There is an officer holding the door. pic.twitter.com/aFA0cQxAGx
— Shadi Petosky (@shadipetosky) September 21, 2015
TSA agent Bramlet told me to get back in the machine as a man or it was going to be a problem.
— Shadi Petosky (@shadipetosky) September 21, 2015