TSA screening changes: transgender officers barred from pat-downs; gender-neutral screening commitments removed
- Date
- Actor
- Transportation Security Administration (DHS)
- Agency
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- Type
- Guidance/memo
Summary
A leaked internal TSA policy issued to comply with EO 14168 provides that transgender TSA officers "shall no longer perform pat-downs" on travelers (pat-downs are conducted by an officer of the traveler's perceived sex), while remaining assigned to other screening functions. TSA also removed from its website the March 2022 press release committing to gender-neutral screening, and reporting describes removal at some airports of the Advanced Imaging Technology option that allowed officers to bypass the scanners' male/female body-profile selection. TSA issued no public announcement of the changes. (See also section 12.)
Status
In effect per reporting; TSA has not publicly documented the policy. A transgender TSA officer, Danielle Mittereder, sued DHS (reported November 11-12, 2025) alleging the pat-down ban constitutes unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII; the suit remained pending as of the cutoff.
As recorded in the data of . Check the sources for anything newer.
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