trans | Email sent to BAA at Heathrow

I have just sent the following email to BAA at Heathrow in response to the under clothing x-ray they are trialing:

To whom it may concern,

I read with disgust an article on MSNBC I was pointed to (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6443356).

I agree that this new machine is a total violation of civil liberties. However, I fear that there is a much greater issue which you appear not to have considered. Indeed your own spokes person said “There will not be a situation that could cause embarrassment,”. I believe that in my case and that of many others like me this is not the case.

I am a male-to-female transsexual and currently I am pre-operative, this means I still have male genitalia. However, I have been living full time in a female gender role for several months. My name has been changed legally by Deed Poll and I travel under a passport in this name and with my gender correctly marked as female.

I am very concerned what would happen in this situation. Could or would it be assumed that I am a potential terrorist as I am travelling "in disguise"? Would I be arrested and then made to prove myself? What if I was not travelling with any proof of my transgender status?

This is simply one situation that concerns me specifically, but there are others like me who would feel very uncomfortable with a stranger seeing their genitalia. Transsexualism as it is commonly referred to is actually medically known as Gender Dysphoria. Which in short means the person in question has an intense disliking of there genitalia, and a stranger seeing it is one of the worst things that could be imagined.

I therefore think that you should reconsider your plans for a role out of this technology. At the very least please consult with appropriate people and bodies involved in Gender Dysphoria before continuing and ensure that your usage policies do not distress such passengers further. Two such people I would suggest contacting would be the Gender Trust (http://www.gendertrust.org.uk/) and Dr Russell Reid, Consultant Psychiatrist, The London Institute (0207 373 0901).

I understand that airport security is a very important issue and I support all reasonable steps to make this as good as possible. But I do hope you take mine and others like me's concerns into consideration.

Regards,

Anne.