A transgender woman live-tweeted what she described as a “denigrating” experience that caused her to miss a Monday evening flight out of Orlando International Airport because she was detained by federal security officials.
Shadi Petosky, a writer and producer at a small Los Angeles entertainment company, tweeted that she was pulled out of line at the checkpoint by the Transportation Security Administration because of an “‘anomaly’ (my penis).”
She said she was placed in a small room with frosted glass walls and told to wait, causing her to miss her flight, she said, while posting a picture of her tear-stained face.
Petosky eventually was released and caught a later flight to Miami, where she tweeted she intended to spend the day relaxing. She could not be reached for comment.
The TSA released a statement this morning saying that after watching closed circuit television video of the incident and considering “other available information,” agency officials concluded that the Orlando officers did nothing wrong.
“TSA takes all potential civil rights violations very seriously…the evidence shows our officers followed TSA’s strict guidelines,” the statement said.
TSA’s website suggests that transgender travelers can request a private screening with a witness or companion and can ask to see a supervisor at any time.
Orlando International spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said the airport was not involved in the dispute.
“It’s truly a TSA screening discussion,” she said.
Petosky’s tweets were flagged shortly before 6 p.m. by comedian Tig Notaro, who urged her 39,000 followers to read of her travails on Twitter.
After what appeared to be a few moments in detention, Petosky tweeted that a TSA agent named Bramlet told her to go back through the agency’s body-scanning machine “as a man or it was going to be a problem.”
Seemingly exasperated, she tweeted, “I fly all the time and this has never happened. I really thought the TSA was good about trans issues. I am so dumb.”
At one point, she said, TSA officers said she had explosive materials on her hands and took her cell phone for testing.
After about an hour, according to the Twitter time stamps, Petosky was released. She tried to rebook her flight, but there was no one at the American Airlines counter, meaning she had to go back to the main terminal and return through the security line.
An Orlando police officer escorted her to American Airlines
“They told me to get myself together, I am sobbing, not belligerent,” she said.
Orlando Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Guido said no reports were filed with her agency. She noted Petosky also tweeted that one Orlando police officer was “very helpful” to her.
Petosky, who was in Orlando to celebrate her mother’s retirement, tweeted, “I don’t think my body is an anomaly. I like tons of people with my body. Can there be more buttons?”
dltracy@tribune.com or 407-420-5444.
