New protocols for Transportation Security Administration screenings of transgender travelers will include discontinuing the use of the term "anomaly" to describe their anatomies.
Agents had previously used the word to describe any discrepancies that appeared when transgender individuals were scanned by airport x-ray machines, according to The Advocate.
The body scanners currently used in American airports require agents to determine whether a person is a man or woman, and if a body scanner finds a discrepancy with an agent's assessment of gender -- indicated by a yellow block on the scan once called an anomaly -- the passenger may be detained for further screenings.
"The technology that we deploy, the best technology for the current and historical threat, does require the transportation security officer to either identify the person as a male or female," TSA assistant administrator Kimberly Walton told The Advocate. "And that technology, it does depend on human anatomy. And so in a situation where a transgender traveler is coming through the checkpoint, that decision is made based on the way the individual presents."
The TSA has not yet decided what term it will use instead, Walton said but added the agency is working with trans advocacy groups to find a better descriptor. In the meantime, transgender travelers who are concerned about TSA screenings can notify the agency of their travel plans ahead of time by calling (855) 787-2227, Walton said.
The agency's announcement that it will revise guidelines and renew trainings in the interest of transgender travelers follows a September incident in which a transgender woman, Shadi Petosky, was detained by the TSA.
Petosky live-tweeted the 40-minute security screening, which began after her genitalia appeared as an "anomaly" on the airport body scanner. Petosky was patted down twice and tested for traces of explosives, and the delay resulted in her missing her flight.
I am being held by the TSA in Orlando because of an "anomaly" (my penis)
— Shadow Petoscary (@shadipetosky) September 21, 2015
The TSA may think they are trained and following strict guidelines but if the guidelines include flagging my genitals, they need to change.
— Shadow Petoscary (@shadipetosky) September 22, 2015
This has nothing to with my sex. This has to do with the perception of my sex/gender by the TSA agent. I disclosed my reality immediately.
— Shadow Petoscary (@shadipetosky) September 22, 2015
In a statement sent to Mashable after the incident, the TSA maintained that Petosky's civil rights were not violated by the screening, however investigations by TSA's Office for Civil Rights and Liberty and the Department of Homeland Security are ongoing.
Following Petosky's experience, 32 members of Congress asked the TSA to revise its guidelines for screening transgender travelers.
Since the incident, Petosky has become a vocal critic of the TSA's policies regarding transgender individuals, and tweeted Thursday that discontinuing the use of the term anomaly was "a good start."
A good start. That sucked. https://t.co/WdwyDVzPNq
— Shadow Petoscary (@shadipetosky) October 14, 2015