A recent incident at LaGuardia Airport in New York has brought renewed scrutiny to the Transportation Security Administration’s screening procedures and their impact on transgender travelers. A trans woman, Kaylee, documented her experience in a viral TikTok video, alleging that advanced imaging technology used at checkpoints effectively profiles and singles out transgender individuals based on anatomical discrepancies.
An Unexpected Question at the Security Checkpoint
Kaylee’s account begins with a routine passage through an Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) scanner, a common fixture at U.S. airport checkpoints. Following the scan, she was pulled aside for secondary screening. What happened next, she says, was revealing. Instead of being automatically assigned a female TSA officer for the ensuing pat-down—standard procedure for individuals flagged as female by the system—the agent asked her, “Do you prefer a male or female agent to pat you down?”
For Kaylee, this question was a clear indicator that the scanner’s algorithm, or the agent interpreting its output, had not categorized her as unequivocally female. “It means I was easily identified as being transgender,” she explained in her video. This moment of discretion, while perhaps intended to be respectful, effectively outs travelers at a vulnerable point in their journey.
How Airport Scanners Identify Anomalies
The core of the issue lies with the AIT scanners, which use either millimeter-wave technology or backscatter X-rays to create a generic outline of a passenger’s body. The software is programmed with two primary algorithms: one for a standard male body type and one for a standard female body type. A TSA agent selects a gender button—blue for male, pink for female—based on the traveler’s presentation before they enter the scanner.
The Algorithm’s Search for Contraband
The machine then compares the passenger’s silhouette against the chosen algorithm’s expected body contours. It highlights areas where there are unexplained masses or protrusions, which could indicate concealed items. The problem, as witnessed by Kaylee, arises when a traveler’s anatomy does not align with the algorithm’s expectations for the selected gender.
Kaylee observed this firsthand when she watched another trans woman go through screening. “I watched the screen as the woman walked through,” she said. “The AI technology on the screen identified two areas as ‘problems’… a big, red circle ‘around her crotch.'” This alert, triggered by the presence of genitalia that the female algorithm does not anticipate, results in an automatic alarm, mandating a pat-down to resolve the anomaly.
Between Security Protocols and Personal Dignity
The TSA maintains that its procedures are focused solely on security and are not designed to identify a traveler’s gender identity. In a statement, the agency has said its officers are trained to conduct screenings “with respect and dignity” and that passengers may request a pat-down by an officer of a specific gender or a private screening at any time. The question posed to Kaylee aligns with this protocol.
The Chilling Effect of Potential Profiling
However, for transgender travelers, the experience can feel like profiling. The technological flagging creates a consistent, repeatable pattern of additional scrutiny. As one commenter on Kaylee’s video noted, “This has happened to me at literally every airport I’ve been at since I began transitioning.” This predictable intervention turns routine travel into a source of anxiety and humiliation.
Kaylee expressed a deeper, more alarming concern: the potential misuse of this de facto identification. She highlighted reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been instructed to profile transgender individuals. While TSA and ICE are distinct agencies, the presence of both at airports raises fears that a security alert could inadvertently flag a traveler to immigration authorities, particularly for undocumented or mixed-status transgender individuals. “There’s no telling what could happen when this technology is left in the wrong hands,” Kaylee warned.
Navigating Air Travel as a Transgender Passenger
In light of these procedures, advocates and experienced travelers offer guidance for transgender individuals passing through airport security. The most frequently recommended step is to ensure that one’s gender marker on official identification, like a driver’s license or passport, matches one’s presentation. The TSA’s scanner selection is officially based on the gender marker presented in the travel document.
Know Your Rights and Options
Travelers have the right to request a pat-down by an officer of the gender with which they identify, and they can ask for that screening to be conducted in a private room with a witness of their choice present. It is also advisable to arrive at the airport with extra time to accommodate potential additional screening. Some recommend traveling with a companion when possible, as Kaylee suggested, for support and advocacy.
Organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) provide resources on transgender rights during travel. They advise passengers that while the AIT scanner process can be problematic, travelers cannot be forced to go through it; one can always opt for a standard pat-down instead, though this too involves physical contact.
A Call for Technological and Policy Reform
The recurring nature of these incidents points to a systemic flaw in a security system built around a binary gender model. Critics argue that the technology itself needs updating. Developing more nuanced algorithms or moving toward gender-neutral threat detection that does not rely on comparing bodies to a “standard” male or female form could reduce these discriminatory outcomes.
Until such changes are made, the gap between policy intention and lived experience remains wide. The question, “Do you prefer a male or female agent?” may be framed as courtesy, but for the transgender community, it is often heard as a declaration of difference, a moment where their identity becomes a security complication. As public awareness grows, the pressure mounts on authorities to reconcile the imperative of safety with the fundamental right to travel without fear of profiling or exposure.
The conversation started by travelers like Kaylee underscores a critical challenge in modern security: deploying technology that protects the public without perpetuating harm against vulnerable communities. Their experiences serve as a powerful reminder that efficiency at the checkpoint should not come at the cost of dignity and equality for all passengers.
