Security theater in pink and blue

The hazards of flying while trans

I hate flying. Always have, from my first flight at the age of 17 when I was in a constant state of fear from the moment we started backing away from the gate. Thirty-one years later, my heart still pounds during taxiing and takeoff, but I no longer panic at the slightest hint of turbulence.

Still, I loathe every aspect of air travel, especially the increasing restrictions brought on by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). I’m convinced these tactics are more a show of security theater than actually protecting US-Americans from terrorist attacks. And since my legal transition to male four years ago, I have even more reasons to hate the TSA.

Before my first post-transition flight in 2014, I rushed to get my vital identification documents—social security card, state ID (I don’t drive), and passport —updated with my new name and transitioned sex. Though I’m agender, I’ve transitioned from female to male for legal and medical purposes, and prefer to be read as male in a world where most people do not understand or acknowledge non-binary genders. I wanted to avoid any travel delays or embarrassment brought on by mismatched documentation.

As it turned out, I was not selected for additional security screening on that flight, but this was not thanks to my efforts to get my documents in order. You see, the TSA does not ask for confirmation of gender through ID documents. Instead, a TSA agent eyeballs each passenger as…