Problems

How do TSA Scanner Disproportionately Impact Marginalized Groups?

 Some people may experience difficulties passing through TSA security, be denied entry for unidentified reasons, or have delayed airline boarding. This often occurs in cases where someone matches the demographics or name of that of a criminal or person on the terrorist watch list. In this case, they are eligible to apply for the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program, or DHS TRIP. This provides them with a number that allows them to enter a database which will reduce the liklihood of these events. Laboratory test results on the software behind TSA scanners show the following factors can contribute to greater fluctuations in the false alarm rate [GAO 2014]:

• Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Headgear (Turbans, Headscarves, and Wigs)
• Prosthetics (such as breast forms)

As transgender people are likely to wear wigs, prosthetics, or metal-containing items such as binders, they are more likely to be subject to additional screening. Such a screening can be difficult for trans people and make them highly uncomfortable, due to the general lack of understanding and care by TSA agents. The current model used for screening is not inclusive of all gender identities, and causes unnecessary harm.