Criminal law, Society, Torts

TSA Screeners Fired After Allegedly Picking Out Handsome Male Passengers To Grope For Sexual Pleasure

240px-tsa_-_logoTwo Transportation Security Administration screeners at Denver International airport have been fired after investigators found that a male TSA employee would select handsome men that he wanted to fondle as part of a secondary patdown. Before you give the TSA much credit however you may want to read on.

Accordingly to the reports, the unnamed male TSA screener told a female screen that he liked to grope the genitals of male passengers and that he would alert another screener that the man was a female to cause the scanning machine to indicate an anomaly in the genital area. He would then do a secondary screening and grope the passenger. This appears to have occurred roughly a dozen times.

In December 2013, Jamelyn Steenhoek filed a complaint against TSA screeners at the airport saying the frisking she received at the same Denver airport amounted to a sexual assault, particularly the fondling of her breasts. No charges were filed.

Now here is the rub, both literally and figuratively. The TSA was given an anonymous tip of an employee who was groping passengers for sexual pleasure on Nov. 18, 2014. The tip came from another TSA employee. Yet, it took nearly three months for TSA act. It just left this man in a position to sexually assault passengers.

It is also unclear why this is not a crime. There was no basis for fondling the genitals of these passengers but the TSA employee is not named let alone charged. Presumably, a man walking through the airport fondling people would have faced a bit more of a penalty than just being led out of the airport.

Source: CBS

197 thoughts on “TSA Screeners Fired After Allegedly Picking Out Handsome Male Passengers To Grope For Sexual Pleasure”

  1. “It is same GENDER pat downs.”
    Enlighten me, Inga.
    Why was Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano wrong, that same sex pat downs were “mostly to reassure women that men will not be groping them at airports.”
    That is, to avoid the sexual aspect, which requires …sexual orientation.

  2. Well, I think we need to have 50+ different lines for people to stand in for their pat down. That way androgynes can pat down androgynes, and pansexuals can pat down other pansexuals! When you consider all the testing that will have to be done, and the research grants (pansexual shrimps on treadmills, for egs.), and the procedure manuals that will have to be written, and all the gender seminars to explain and train, this could also solve the massive unemployment problem in the country!

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  3. Seriously what’s next, ban TSA agents who eat shellfish? Ban TSA agents who are black? It’s clearly prejudice once again based on phobias against a minority.

    1. Inga – my airport has the new screening machines. Thing is it has a glitch. Both coming and going the machine said I had something in my pocket, which I didn’t.

  4. No Pogo, sexual orientation is NOT the reason for same sex pat downs. It is same GENDER pat downs. No one knows who is gay or not, there is no scarlet “H” for homosexual emblazoned on their uniform. Homosexuality is no longer culturally abnormal, we have evolved as a society. Things never remain stagnant. I don’t forsee pedophilia or groping to be cultural norms anytime soon, it is a criminal activity that needs to hav a victim. Homosexual sex is legal consensual act between adults.

    1. Inga – you may not know who is gay, but there really is gaydar. Some have it, some don’t. Guess you don’t.

  5. Inga! you are wrong.

    “Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano went out of her way yesterday to stress that the TSA pat-downs are “same-gender” – mostly to reassure women that men will not be groping them at airports in the name of safety.
    “But what about homosexual TSA agents?” AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera responded. “Isn’t it just as inappropriate for a ‘gay’ male TSA agent to pat down male travelers as it is for a normal, heterosexual male TSA agent to pat down female travelers?
    It doesn’t seem like a complicated point: TSA patters-down are to be of the same-sex as the pattees-down so as to avoid the appearance of sexual inappropriateness, but such a system assumes, among other things, that the population and its actions are 100% heterosexual. That’s not the case, so their gender segregated patting-down is inadequate.
    It is possible for both travelers and TSA agents to be gay. They can also be bisexual. They can be straight with some tendencies and attractions to members of the same-sex. They can be closeted and may never come out. That can’t be controlled, and it shouldn’t be.
    Because sexual orientation, to most people, doesn’t really matter. Labarbera seems to be implying that an act isn’t gay if straight people do it (just two bros helping each other out, nothing queer about that), but an overtly sexual act like genital touching is, to most people, an overtly sexual act. Newsweek has an article that addresses that indirectly, on how rape survivors are dealing with the new security measures:
    For women and men who have already been sexually assaulted, the new screening rules–or just the threat of these rules–present a very real danger. They can be triggering events, setting off a posttraumatic-stress reaction. “I started crying. It was so intimate, so horrible. I feel like I was being raped,” an anonymous rape survivor recounted on a Minnesota blog. Melissa Gibbs, a spokeswoman for We Won’t Fly, a group protesting the new regulations, says that a rape survivor she spoke to had a panic attack as an agent began touching her leg.[…]
    Passengers have the right to have an agent of the same gender perform the pat-down, but McEwan notes that any kind of unwanted touching can trigger an event. Moreover, men who are sexually assaulted are often the victims of other men–“but saying, ‘Hey, I want a woman to do this’ could lead to a whole other set of problems,” Maltz says. Survivors and women’s advocates also worry about the potential for bad actors, poor communication (as in Chase’s case), and abuse of power will make an already bad procedure worse.

    ”

    Source

  6. @Ingannie

    Gender??? You mean the 50 or cholces the Gaystapo and the left have defined for us???

    Agender – Someone who does not identify with any sort of gender identity. This term may also be used by someone who intentionally has no recognizable gender presentation. Some people use similar terms such as “genderless” and “gender neutral”.

    Androgyne/Androgynous – someone who neither identifies with, nor presents as, a man or woman. Being “androgynous” can refer to having both masculine and feminine qualities. This term has Latin roots: Andro- meaning “man” and -gyne, meaning “woman.” Some androgynes may identity as “gender benders”, meaning that they are intentionally “bending” (or challenging/transgressing) societal gender roles.

    Bigender- someone who identifies as both a man and a woman. A Bigender identity is a combination of these two genders, but not necessarily a 50/50 combination, as these genders are often felt – and expressed – fully. Similar to individuals who identify as gender fluid, bigender people may present as men, as women, or as gender-neutral ways on different days.

    Cis- all of these terms capture that a person is not trans or does not have a gender diverse identity or presentation.

    Cis Female (see also Cis Woman, Cisgender Female, Cisgender Woman); a female who identifies as a woman/has a feminine gender identity.

    Cis Male (see also Cis Man, Cisgender Male, Cisgender Man); a male who identifies as a man/has a masculine gender identity.

    Cis Man (see Cis Male)

    Cis Woman (see Cis Female)

    Cisgender: A person who has the gender identity commonly associated with their biological sex (e.g., someone who is assigned as a female at birth and who lives as a woman).

    Cisgender Female (see Cis Female)

    Cisgender Male (see Cis Male)

    Cisgender Man (see Cis Male)

    Cisgender Woman (see Cis Female)

    Female to Male/ FTM- a trans person who was assigned female sex, and now lives as a man and has a masculine gender identity. This person may or may not have altered his physical body with surgery, hormones, or other modifications (e.g., voice training to develop a deeper spoken voice). FTM is an abbreviation of female to male. Generally uses masculine pronouns (e.g., “he” or “his”) or gender neutral pronouns.

    Gender Fluid- someone whose gender identity and presentation are not confined to only one gender category. Gender fluid people may have dynamic or fluctuating understandings of their gender, moving between categories as feels right. For example, a gender fluid person might feel more like a man one day and more like a woman on another day, or that neither term is a good fit.

    Gender Nonconforming- Someone who looks and/or behaves in ways that don’t conform to, or are atypical of, society’s expectations of how a person of that gender should look or behave. (See also this excellent article by Dr. Eric Grollman about gender conformity & gender non-conformity).

    Gender Questioning- Someone who may be questioning their gender or gender identity, and/or considering other ways of experiencing or expressing their gender or gender presentation.

    Gender Variant- an umbrella term that refers to anyone who, for any reason, does not have a cisgender identity (which includes the trans* umbrella). Others acknowledge issues with this term as it implies that such genders are “deviations” from a standard gender, and reinforces the “naturalness” of the two-gender system. Some prefer the terms “gender diverse” or “gender-nonconforming.”

    Genderqueer- Someone who identifies outside of, or wishes to challenge, the two-gender (i.e., man/woman) system; may identify as multiple genders, a combination of genders, or “between” genders. People who use this term may feel that they are reclaiming the word “queer”, which has historically been used as a slur against gay men and women. This term is used more often by younger generations doing the “reclaiming” and less often by slightly older generations who may have personally experienced the term “queer” as a slur.

    Intersex- Generally refers to someone whose chromosomes, gonads (i.e., ovaries or testes), hormonal profiles, and anatomy do not conform to the expected configurations of either male typical or female typical bodies. Some intersex conditions are apparent at birth, while others are noticed around puberty or later (if ever). Some individuals no longer use the term “intersex conditions” and instead prefer “disorders of sex development.” (See ISNA.org.)

    Male to Female/MTF- a trans person who was assigned male sex (likely at birth), and now lives as a woman and has a feminine gender identity. This person may or may not have altered her physical body with surgery, hormones, or other modification (e.g., voice training, electrolysis, etc). MTF is an abbreviation of “Male To Female”. Generally uses female pronouns (e.g., “she” or “her”) or gender neutral pronouns.

    Neither- Not putting a label on one’s gender.

    Neutrois- An umbrella term within the bigger umbrella terms of transgender or genderqueer. Includes people who do not identify within the binary gender system (i.e., man/woman). According to Neutrois.com, some common Neutrois identities include agender neither-gender, and gender-less.

    Non-binary- Similar to genderqueer, this is a way of describing one’s gender as outside the two-gender (i.e., man/woman) system and/or challenging that system.

    Other- Choosing to not provide a commonly recognized label to one’s gender. When used by someone to describe themselves, this may feel like a freeing way of describing (or not specifically describing) their gender. The term “other” should not be used to refer to people whose gender you can’t quite understand or place.

    Pangender- “Pan” means every, or all, and this is another identity label such like genderqueer or neutrois that challenges binary gender and is inclusive of gender diverse people.

    Transgender- an umbrella term that includes all people who have genders not traditionally associated with their assigned sex. People who identify as transgender may or may not have altered their bodies through surgery and/or hormones. Some examples:

    Trans Man (see FTM above); Although some people write the term as “transman” (no space between trans and man) or trans-man (note the hyphen), some advocate for a space to be included between “trans” and “man” in order to indicate that the person is a man and that the “trans” part may not be a defining characteristic or central to his identity.

    Trans Woman (see MTF above) Although some people write the term as “transwoman” (no space between trans and woman) or trans-woman (note the hyphen), some advocate for a space to be included between “trans” and “woman” in order to indicate that the person is a woman and that the “trans” part may not be a defining characteristic or central to her identity.

    Trans Female (see MTF above)

    Trans Male (see FTM above)

    Trans Person (see transgender above); another way of saying someone is a transgender person. (Note that “transgender” tends to be preferred over “transgendered”).

    Trans* is an inclusive term, referring to the many ways one can transcend or even transgress gender or gender norms (e.g., it includes individuals who may identify as transgender, transsexual, gender diverse, etc). In many cases the asterisk (*) is not followed by a sex or gender term – it’s just written as Trans* – to indicate that not all trans people identify with an established sex or gender label. Another option is to write it as:

    Trans*Person (see transgender above)

    Other times, a sex or gender label may be used:

    Trans*Female (see MTF)

    Trans*Male (see FTM)

    Trans*Man (see FTM)

    Trans*Woman (see MTF)

    Transsexual person – For many people this term indicates that a person has made lasting changes to their physical body, specifically their sexual anatomy (e.g., genitals and/or breasts or chest), through surgery. For some, the term “transsexual” is a problematic term because of its history of pathology or association with a psychological disorder. In order to get the operations necessary for sexual reassignment surgeries or gender confirming surgeries, people long needed a psychiatric diagnosis (historically, that diagnosis was “transsexualism”) and recommendations from mental health professionals. The term “transsexual” tends to be used less often by younger generations of trans persons.

    Transsexual Woman – Someone who was assigned male sex at birth who has most likely transitioned (such as through surgery and/or hormones) to living as a woman.

    Transsexual Man- Someone who was assigned female at birth who has most likely transitioned (such as through surgery and/or hormones) to living as a man.

    Transsexual Female (see Transsexual Woman)

    Transsexual Male (see Transsexual Man)

    Transgender is an umbrella term which includes all people who have genders not traditionally associated with their sex at birth. Transgender person can also be used. This may (but does not necessarily) include:

    Transgender Female (see MTF)

    Transgender Male (see FTM)

    Transgender Man (see FTM)

    Transgender Woman (see MTF)

    Transmasculine- Someone assigned a female sex at birth and who identifies as masculine, but may not identify wholly as a man. Often, you’ll encounter the phrase “masculine of center” to indicate where people who identify as transmasculine see themselves in relation to other genders.

    Transfeminine- Someone assigned a male sex at birth who identifies as feminine, but may not identify wholly as a woman. Often, you’ll encounter the phrase “feminine of center” to indicate where people who identify as transfeminine see themselves in relation to other genders.

    Two-spirit- This term likely originated with the Zuni tribe of North America, though two-spirit persons have been documented in numerous tribes. Native Americans, who have both masculine and feminine characteristics and presentations, have distinct roles in their tribes, and they are seen as a third gender. (Recently, Germany and Nepal adopted a third gender option for citizens to select).

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/15/the-complete-glossary-of-facebook-s-51-gender-options.html

    Yeah, let’s use gender! That’ll really simplify things!

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  7. Inga, you misrepresented my arguments again.
    I fully accept that you decline to argue in an open an honest fashion.

    My complaints were these:
    1. Inga complained about perverts. But the word ‘pervert’ requires an accepted cultural norm. But our cultural norms have largely been upended, so that word has become largely meaningless.

    “but it is put forth as a generalized attack or referendum on gays.”
    That’s a mischaracterization or a misunderstanding.
    2. The reason for requiring same sex TSA pat downs was based on heteronormativism. A gay man upends that norm, as hetero men expect other hetero men patting them down to have no sexual interest in them. If women can demand no men groping them in order to avoid feeling uncomfortable, why can’t men do the same?
    Sexual orientation is the primary basis for separating the sexes in pat downs. This case highlights problems with that assumption.

  8. Gender, not sexual orientation is the reasoning for same sex pat downs.

    1. Inga – since the idea is that patter-downer does not get off on it, I want either straight men or lesbian women to pat me down.

  9. “With regard to sexual orientation of the authority there is no basis in law to regulate or authorize the authority based upon sexual orientation.”

    Sexual orientation (of the majority of the population) is the entire reason for requiring same sex pat downs and frisking where possible.

  10. And Darren is completely correct in stating that this argument and thread has been used as a referendum on gays, which is very often the case lately.

  11. @Mike Appleton

    I have read some of the Nicolosi stuff, too and It might surprise you, but I don’t necessarily agree with him either. I think he suffers from the same problem as everybody else who studies homosexuality, and that is, nobody really knows what causes it. Anymore than we know what causes autism, or OCD. I don’t think we even know what homosexuality is. My goodness, 85% of self-identified lesbians, have sex with men during the same time they have sex with women. Does homosexuality flicker on and off like a lamp with a short circuit??? We are basically left to deal with a “behavior” at this point.

    That being said, I don’t know how anyone would “discredit” him, when the other side is just as lost as he is. What I do notice, is that the Gaystapo is extremely determined to cut off all inquiry into the matter of reparative therapy But we do know that some people (de Blasio’s wife, egs.) change their orientation and their conduct.

    I am sorry I jumped you, but when you said, “discredited”—the first thing that came to my mind was Felix Mendelssohn and how he was discredited as a composer for being Jewish.

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  12. I should’ve said Pogo and Squeeky asserted that people who are homosexuals shouldn’t be allowed to be an authority figure that does pat downs.

  13. Paul

    As I mentioned in my comment the topic of homosexuality is not material to the criminal action taken by the state nor will it be for the purpose of any civil action taken on behalf of the victims. Homosexuality is not criminalized therefore it does not serve as a basis for criminal prosecution.

    As for the discussion, it has by a few resulted in this case being used as one to falsely associate the matter as a vehicle to put the topic of homosexuality and gay individuals on trial. Not only is this outside the scope of the criminal matter of the TSA controversy but it is put forth as a generalized attack or referendum on gays.

    As for which is first as you wrote homosexual or pervert that is a matter of grammatical syntax of the English.

  14. The assertion by Pogo and Squeeky was that people who had authority to do pat downs should not be allowed to be homosexuals, because they consider homosexuality to be a perversion. Understanding the argument is essential in understanding the erroneous reasoning of people putting forth this argument.

  15. No Paul, that is not the challenge. Why are you totally misstating this? No one asserted that he was not homosexual. The assertion was that he was a pervert. No one stated that because he was homosexual he couldn’t be a pervert. No one asserted that heterosexuals also couldn’t be perverts.

  16. There have been several questions regarding pat-downs/frisks and I will offer another perspective.

    First the frisk (the physical checking of another’s person to determine of weapons are present) is different from a strip search in both terms of legal restrictions and intrusiveness. Because of each the courts have limited the realms for which they may be performed. It is too involved for the time I want to devote to this but in essence, depending on the state, many courts have decided that general strip searches of all prisoners on intake is unconstitutional unless a genuinely articulable reasons exists for a particular individual. Strip searches can only be performed by someone of opposite gender or a medial professional of either gender. I have never heard of an situation where such an extreme exigency exists that these rules may be broken legally.

    The courts have consistently allowed frisks by persons of opposite gender provided that a few sensibilities are maintained. In the case of female recipients of the frisk and male authorities most of the body area may be frisked without restrictions. The genital region, buttocks and breasts (for male authorities) require different methods. A few methods include utilization of the authority’s back of hands, having the recipient pull the front middle of the bra forward to shake out any hidden weapons, using the sides of the hand, etc. The practicality of such comes into play when there is not the availability of opposite gendered authorities. Arrests made in rural areas are such in scope. Booking searches are a bit more involved than field frisks.

    With regard to sexual orientation of the authority there is no basis in law to regulate or authorize the authority based upon sexual orientation. For one, it is completely impractical. Secondly restricting an officer/employee from performing a duty that is designed to protect them from a possible assault by a suspect is the type of case that results in summary judgments against police departments on behalf of plaintiff employees for violations of EEOC and analogue local laws.

    Any frisk performed outside the bounds of what is statutory, permitted by the common law, or policy for the purpose of sexual gratification of the authority is an assault. It is depending on jurisdiction either a directly codified violation or it is a sentencing enhancement. The gender of the authority is immaterial as is the sexual orientation of the authority. In referencing rape statutes the states and the federal government hold that the gender of the suspect or the victim is immaterial. The same applies to simple assault with findings of sexual motivation and therefore by extension assaultive frisks.

    There also becomes the issue of whether the assault is a per se rape or sexual assault. A frisk involving a digital insertion into the vagina of the recipient is a per se sexual assault however the touching of a clothed genital area can only be a violation if there is a finding of sexual gratification or motivation. The reason for this is because it is not per se a sexual assault to inadvertently touch the clothed areas. This will happen, albeit it seldom in occurrence. The most likely time is if the recipient suddenly moves their body and an inadvertent touching happens. These situations will not result in a criminal prosecution as the occasional situation will happen eventually with authorities over time.

    In the case of this article, the sexual motivation element resulted in what is described amounting to probable cause generated from the state being able to articulate that the accused were reported to have worked to manipulate the system to select certain individuals for the unlawful touching AND the unlawful touching occurred. If a defendant admits that the authority performed these actions due to physical attraction coupled with the above it leads to probable cause. As Mike Appleton wrote the sexual orientation of the authorities is immaterial. The standard for meeting the elements of a simple assault with findings of sexual motivation does not include sexual orientation of the actors, if it is not per se the state does not have to prove any degree of sexual attraction to convict on simple assaults with sexual motivation.

    1. Darren – I think that no one disagrees with you. The challenge that has arisen is can you be a homosexual pervert? Are you a pervert first and a homosexual second or vice versa. This has been the crux of almost all of the discussion.

  17. Squeeky:

    Don’t be so juvenile. I have spent many hours reading on the topic of homosexuality, including articles in the fields of religion, psychology and natural law theory. I’ve even read some of Nicolosi’s stuff. The web site you put such faith in treats homosexuality as a condition whose cure requires repentance. One may take the position that we are dealing with a moral disorder, but that is not a position with which I agree. But then I have ventured outside of east Texas on occasion.

  18. @Mike Appleton

    ??? Assuming NARTH was involved, how does anyone “discredit” NARTH??? Do you mean the Gaystapo DISAGREES with NARTH or its conclusions and findings and research??? If so, that hardly constitutes “discrediting”. Not everybody is required to have the same opinion. Your statement sounds more like, “I drank the Gaystapo’s kool-aid, and I don’t want to read or think any thoughts that they might disagree with. If I do, they might call me a homophobe!”

    Come on, be a big boy and jump right in there and read some stuff that you don’t agree with! Watch that film above. It’s only about an hour. I promise you that you will not turn into a pumpkin or anything. If you are afraid, just read it and don’t tell anyone that you did. Plus, you can watch the film, and then, clear the cache on your computer and nobody will be any wiser!

    Remember, this isn’t North Korea! Yet. . .

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  19. Squeeky:

    I checked the site. It is basically an outlet for NARTH, whose views on homosexuality and reparative therapy have been thoroughly discredited.

  20. Squeeky, because I don’t agree with your neurotic notions, I don’t care for my own children or grandchildren? Delusional.

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