Sexual assault is generally defined as forced or coerced sexual contact which can range from touching to penetration. State statutes will vary, and the legal wording changes from time to time, but that’s sexual assault in a nutshell. Forced or coerced. Forced we all understand pretty well. Coerced sometimes needs a little more explanation.
Coercion as defined by Wikipedia: “the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner (whether through action or inaction) by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force.” In sexual assault cases this can take many forms. The perpetrator may threaten the victim by saying, “If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll tell everyone we did it anyway and make it sound worse.” Or the threat may be implied, it may reside in the offender’s greater size and perceived power.
Image: CrimeCents
Now think about the TSA patdown. No one actually wants a patdown, and certainly not the aggressive new patdowns which are often made intentionally rougher and more intrusive for the passengers who choose to opt out of the body scanners. TSA would argue that by choosing to fly, you are consenting to their security screening. Is this very different from, say, arguing that a woman who chooses to go on a date is consenting to sexual contact afterward? Or that if she didn’t say no, it means she consented?
So if travelers do not want to be patted down, how do they wind up with TSA agents’ hands all over their bodies? Because TSA forces another party to behave in an involuntary manner. TSA uses threats, intimidation, and other forms of pressure or force. They dress in uniforms designed to trick travelers into thinking that TSA employees are law enforcement officers. They threaten passengers with missing their flights. They are abusive. They lie about the effectiveness of the screening in order to gain compliance.
I have experienced this personally, and any quick search for TSA abuse will net you link after link after link to TSA horror stories.
The TSA model, in its own way, supports some of the cultural myths about rape and coercive control.
She never said no. She knew what was going to happen, but she went along with it anyway. Touching other people’s bodies is normal. It’s your duty to let someone else touch your bathing suit areas. You have to let people in a position of power do what they want to you, even if you don’t like it. You shouldn’t argue about being touched in sensitive areas if it’s for your own good.
We should be ashamed that our society has gone so far as to support the continued sexual assault of citizens at the hands of government employees with no actual benefit to security. Even if there were a benefit, would it be worth it? What price security? How far is too far?
As Ben Franklin said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Related articles:
- TSA Pretends to Lose Interest in Patting Down Your Gran (crimedime.com)
- Navigating updated TSA policies for transgender people and sexual assault survivors (stuffqueerpeopleneedtoknow.wordpress.com)
- WATCH: Woman sobbing during TSA patdown (radio.woai.com)
- Senator Schumer’s Proposal for TSA Passenger Advocates Falls Short (crimedime.com)
- I Have a (Woman) I’m Very Protective Of: What Can Men do to Stop Rape? (crimedime.com)
- $1B of TSA Nude Body Scanners Made Worthless By Blog — How Anyone Can Get Anything Past The Scanners (tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.com)
John M. Wills
May 14, 2012
It is a disgrace that this nation allows its citizens to be treated in this manner. For a man to have to stand and watch his wife and children be assaulted for no good reason, other than to board an airplane, is not something that can ever be justified.
argentumvulgaris
May 14, 2012
I can’t understand why Americans don’t simply boycott flying until this nonsense stops.
Thanks for visiting my blog and the like. I added your link.
AV
CrimeDime
May 18, 2012
Boycotting doesn’t work because air travel has become so important to how we do business, and how we like to vacation and visit family. Given the choice between, say, going to visit a relative in the hospital who might be dying and boycotting because of TSA, most people will get on the plane. Most people who are flying do so because they can’t find a better option.
argentumvulgaris
May 18, 2012
That’s the whole point, we have to shift the paradigm or nothing will change. The world, in this case the Americans, has settled on complacency, allowing the govts to ride roughshod over the lot of us.
AV
amaya73
May 14, 2012
When TSA tested my young son’s hands for explosives residue, I asked why. He was just picked at random, according to them. Inefficient and pointless. I’m lucky I didn’t get an aggressive pat down for questioning them, I guess.
CrimeDime
May 18, 2012
They can be retaliatory at times! And yes, I particularly resent the searches, in all their forms, of children. Yes, searching kids might make us safer in the really big picture, but at what cost? Teaching our kids to accept life in a police state?
anotherboomerblog
May 14, 2012
You can use generic definitions, but you’re talking the difference between apples and oranges as this sort of contact is legally sanctioned by federal mandate that has, so far, been upheld by case law. Better to purchase a copy of Black’s Law so we’re at least discussing the same piece of fruit.
Because of the horror factor after 9/11 and because Americans are easily cowed by the concept our isolated country could be a victim of what everyone else in the world has to deal with we stood by with our thumbs up our you-know-what while Congress passed laws and President Bush signed them into law establishing something akin to martial law. The vast majority of Americans are jim-dandy happy to have this happen to prevent even the remote possibility of another 9/11 on even the smallest scale.
The reality is that the intent of these searches is not sexual in nature. And, an individual has options – they can take a car or take a train or a bus (unless they are required to travel on business). If the American public was truly concerned about this situation the government would respond. They are not.
allysonthefeminist
June 22, 2012
It doesn’t matter if the intent is sexual in nature. To some it feels sexual in nature. As a rape survivor, I have a flash back every time I am patted down. It makes me not want to fly and dread it for weeks when I have to. I shouldn’t have to be reminded of the worst moment of my life every time I fly. It’s not fair.
anotherboomerblog
June 22, 2012
I’m sorry you’re still having flashbacks. When I had problems like that I found great help with desensitization therapy. NLP works quite well. Wishing you all the best.
investigator25
May 14, 2012
The reason I will not fly unless it is a life or death situation until this country regains control of our country.
x-TSA
May 18, 2012
Look I’m not a big fan of theirs and i used to work for them but compared to what some european countries go through this is nothing…and I’m sorry but if the undersear bomber or some other moron thast you haven’t heard of (because no one leaked it to the news) was sucessful you’d be the first ones screaming for TSA’s blood. Guys…this isn’t going to change and all you’re doing is banging your head against a brick wall… The only other option is to drive or take the bus. Flying isn’t a right just like driving isn’t and you can’t leave things wide open for anyone to get on without any security. You have no idea how much money the terrorists have put towards blowing up another plane…hell I only have a small Idea. but TSA is trying to balance having some viable security and not being totally intrusive. You hear 1m or 2 horror stories out of millions of people who fly everyday and act like every airport is like that and it isn’t true…and why does TSA test kids hands?…because kids put their hands in up to 5 times more places than you or I do and if JR has it on his hands we know who to look at. Kids are always touching and running their hands on something , watch them sometime…there is a reason for everything people…did you know that the largest group of muslims in the world are of Asian decent not middle eastern ? and their radicals make the others look like Hare Krishna’s…(sp?)m did you know that the radical muslims in Chechnya look like everyday white americans?…smh…I’m done…
ckcmiller
August 28, 2012
I don’t know where people are getting the idea that flying isn’t a right. US Code 40103: A citizen of the United States has a public right of transit through the navigable airspace.
Connie Miller
November 24, 2012
X-TSA, please take note:
“US CODE – Section 40103. A citizen of the United States has a public right of transit through naviagable airspace.” That’s a public right!
Short, sweet and crystal clear. Google it to confirm.
I don’t know where everyone is getting this hoomalimali about air travel being a privilege. It doesn’t seem to be the law.
allysonthefeminist
June 22, 2012
As much as I hate the pat downs, I hate the new screens more. Anyone behind the scan can see me intimately. I opted out once for the pat down and I was able to see some disturbing things. The monitor used is in no way hidden. I was able to see the man’s body on the monitor who was currently in the scanner. There were also several people standing around it as if it were a fucking football game. So, If I had gone through the scan several staff and possibly civilians would have seen me in a way I only want my boyfriend seeing me. Basically, the only way to be screened by security these days is incredibly violating. I hate flying.
Anonymous
July 19, 2012
check out sue-tsa.com
Freedom, by the way
August 7, 2012
The indiviual airports should be responsible for their own security with the airlines responsible for hiring, managing and paying for private security firms. This creates another level of competition among the flying public (most Americans have some choice of airports and some would choose to use one farther away if the customer service was better). Because TSA is a government agency they don’t care about the needs of the flying public. They have a union job and are going to get paid whether their “customers” are happy or not. DHS and it’s little unruly child, TSA are harming our personal liberties–just like the terrorists planned.