Jen Winter sent me a link to an in-depth opinion piece she had written about the new TSA scanners and pat-down procedures in the US, specifically from the point of view of the mother of sexual abuse survivors.
I’ve kept an eye on all of the latest news, and protests, about the new TSA procedures, and wondered how survivors of sexual violence were dealing with these rules. I’m not a frequent traveler, but I have gone through the back-scatter scanner. The thought of what that scanner might be showing was troubling, but less so than the prospect of being patted-down by a strange male, even before the pat-downs got even more invasive. At least I couldn’t see what the scanner was showing, or see anyone’s reaction to it.
Of course, I’m also a slightly overweight male in my 40s, so I doubt whoever had to view the image was really enjoying it. If I were a 20 year old woman, or traveling with a minor, it might be even more difficult to accept.
How are you, as a survivor, dealing with the new procedures? Are you going to give up flying to avoid the possible traumatic reaction, have you found ways to cope because you simply can’t refuse to fly, like I have? What are your thoughts?