Most of us probably aren't exactly in high spirits after a trip through the airport-security line, but Amanda Sapir is understandably flying high after a positive experience with a TSA agent.
Sapir, who identifies as gender nonconforming and trans masculine, shared a Facebook photo with a TSA agent on Saturday after receiving a highly positive experience.
While going through the body scanner at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, Attn reports, Sapir knew that the machine would get confused. Sapir's boxer shorts would indicate to the scanner that they were a man, but their breasts would indicate a woman.
According to the TSA website, scanners alert TSA agents when a person has body parts inconsistent with their selected gender, because the machines contain "software that looks at the anatomy of men and women differently." While the system is set up to ensure security and detect safety threats, it can and has been a source of humiliation for trans people.
However, one TSA agent turned a potentially awkward process into a comfortable experience for Sapir. When their boxer shorts triggered the machine, Sapir wrote in a Facebook post, Darlena Thi Lac asked how they identified. "You get to decide how you are identified," Thi Lac said.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
After the screening, which confirmed that Sapir wasn't "hiding anything anywhere," they thanked Thi Lac for "the kindest and most socially aware TSA experience I have ever had," adding, "your thoughtfulness really means the world."
Thi Lac's response?
"I love people. We should be kind to everyone."
Since they posted the photo, Sapir's Facebook post has understandably gone viral, with more than 41,000 likes and over 6,000 shares at the time of writing. As one commenter put it, "This should be the common experience...maybe some day. Good to know that level of awareness and acceptance is out there."