Your Morning TSA Security Round-Up

[Trigger warning for general harm.]

If you've got nothing to hide, you shouldn't be worried about enhanced security screening, right? RIGHT?!

TSA Groin Searches Menstruating Woman—"I was subjected to search so invasive that I was left crying and dealing with memories that I thought had been dealt with years ago of prior sexual assaults. Why? Because of my flannel panty-liner. These new scans are so horrible that if you are wearing something unusual (like a piece of cloth on your panties) then you will be subjected to a search where a woman repeatedly has to check your 'groin' while another woman watches on (two in my case - they were training in a new girl - awesome). So please, please, tell the ladies not to wear their liners at the airport (I didn't even have an insert in). I'm a strong, confident woman; I'm an Army vet (which is why those camo liners crack me up), I work full-time and go to graduate school full-time, I have a wonderful husband, and I don't take any nonsense from anyone. I don't dramatize, and I don't exaggerate. I'm trying to give you a sense of who I am so you won't think that this is a plea for attention, or a jumping on the bandwagon about the recent TSA proposed boycott. I just don't want another woman to have to go through the 'patting down' because she didn't know that her glad-rag would be a matter of national security."

Christian Science Monitor—For sexual crime victims, TSA pat-downs can be 're-traumatizing':

“Any type of violation of physical boundaries can set back a rape survivor in their treatment, in their therapy, in their recovery,” says [Dr. Amy Menna, a counselor and professor at the University of South Florida who has a decade’s experience researching and treating rape survivors].

“There’s a lack of sensitivity to individuals’ emotional states when undergoing this public violation,” she adds, citing the dismissive brusqueness of the procedure.

Many passengers don't know – and aren’t informed – ­that they have the right to a private screening, or to have another person present at that private screening.

“Know your rights,” Menna says, “and make sure they are not violated.”

GSLfa—How the TSA policies impact transgender travelers, from the National Center for Transgender Equality: "First, it is important that you KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. Even if TSA personnel are not always familiar with travelers' rights, such as the right to decline a full-body scan, you should know them. You may need to politely inform the officer of your rights and choices.

CNN—Shooting video at a TSA checkpoint? Here's what you should know: "As Americans fly to and from Thanksgiving holiday gatherings this week, some travelers -- anxious about their rights at airport security checkpoints -- may try to follow Tyner's lead and video their TSA encounters. Is that legal? It depends."

Gothamist—Guy Shows Up in Boxers As Fliers Opt Out Of Opt-Out Day: "I wore my underwear to remind all the people who submit to security procedures that they have options besides blind compliance."