Gay TSA Employees Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Pat Down Travelers

Once the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced its new airport screening procedures, people on both the right and the left objected to the increased privacy invasion. Meanwhile, travelers felt stuck with a host of bad options–not travel over the holiday weekend, participate in some kind of “opt out” campaign, or suffer through the indignity of an enhanced screen.

It’s doubtful that those travelers were worried about whether or not the TSA agent conducting the screen was getting “turned on” in the process. But that is exactly the concern voiced by Peter LaBarbera, a long-time anti-gay activist and director of Americas for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTHA).

LaBarbera’s issued a press release detailing his concern that gay TSA employees will “get turned on” while patting down travelers of the same sex. LaBarbera challenged the TSA, arguing that if it is inappropriate for a male TSA worker to conduct a pat down of a female traveler, the same is true for gay employees. According to LaBarbera this is the perfect opportunity for gay workers to get a cheap thrill, all at the expense of an innocent traveler.

LaBarbera has demanded that the TSA put conditions of employment for self-acknowledged homosexuals and bar them from patting down travelers “so as to avoid being put in sexually compromising situations.”

So far the TSA has not commented on LaBarbera’s charges or his demands.

It’s a sad day when someone will take the honest security concerns of the federal government, and the honest privacy invasion concerns of both the right and the left, and distort them to push their own bizarre anti-gay agenda. Not only does it trivialize the substantive questions being explored and wrestled with, it obscures the debate and unnecessarily sexualizes a security process that is already fraught with problems.

Read more: civil rights, gay, Pat-Downs, security, TSA

photo courtesy of puddy_uk via Flickr

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Annmari L.

10:25AM PST on Feb 11, 2011

I don't want to be patted down by anyone. Period. I don't give a hoot what their sexual identity is because that's not the issue. I decline being treated as a criminal and a potential terrorist by anyone. It actually happened to me once and it wasn't in the US. Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. They checked my luggage and found a suspiscious device they couldn't understand. I told them what it was and offered to show them how it worked but instead they insisted on patting me down in full view of other travellers. Kinda embarrassing.... My suspiscious device? A little machine used to make your own cigarettes. Very intimidating!
Anyway, ever since that incident I refuse to be patted down and I would never agree to be screened in any of those "naked cameras" eihter. I rather go by train, bus or car than be humilated again. Specially when airfares are that expensive!

send a green star

Martha E.

11:49AM PST on Jan 29, 2011

The jet in the picture, has the initials, PIA. Is that pain in the ass airlines?

11:46AM PST on Jan 29, 2011

This guy would invent any excuse to spout his "cause." You think too highly of yourself, Mr. LaBarberra. Your body isn't good enough for a gay to want to touch -- I'm sure he would feel offended to have to inspect you.

And since you obviously don't get it! -- gays are just like straights in matters of being attracted or not, to a certain person. They have preferences. They treat their jobs as professionals. Just because you have a penis, does not mean that a gay man would want to touch you, especially you!! EWWWW. How stupid can one adult be? You just saw it.

pam S.

10:24AM PST on Dec 18, 2010

Gay people should not have physical contact with others during their occupation. I was once assaulted by a gay midwife.

Jami W.

1:20PM PST on Dec 15, 2010

they can be gay all they want so long as they don't touch me cuz they may go home with a few less limbs

Nellie K A.

4:08PM PST on Dec 13, 2010

Removal of pat downs or the full-body scan x ray machine. Enough is enough! This is an invasion of privacy. Some stupid people will exchange it for our freedom, this is not freedom! This is the new Roman empirre if America doesn't stop...

Cheryl Z.

10:27AM PST on Dec 11, 2010

LaBarbera must think about sex all the time. Join life. There's so much more to it.

Brandie L.

11:54PM PST on Dec 9, 2010

I'm so tired of reading about fools...

Donald M.

1:09PM PST on Dec 3, 2010

Just another chip off the human psyche block, to get you used to being ordered around.

To close with the last part of a very poignant post WW11 quote..."when they came for me, there was no one left to stand up."

Regards...

Maury H.

2:21PM PST on Dec 2, 2010

Don't Ask, Don't Pat