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Showdown In San Diego: TSA Wants To See You Naked, Maybe Touch Your Junk
We know that you have a choice in air travel, and we appreciate you choosing X-rays and molestation over hot food and movies. Please have a pleasant flight. Your essential liberties will be waiting for you at baggage claim.
An Oceanside man attempting to board a flight at San Diego International Airport this week took a no-means-no stance and recorded a confrontation with TSA agents when he refused to undergo the full-body scan and five finger feel-up.
"John Charles Tyner, 31, said he wasn't trying to pick a fight when he refused an X-ray scan of his body Saturday, but he was ready to defend his rights, according to his blog, if they made him do it. He is opposed on principle to the X-ray machines because it would show an image of his naked body," reports LA Now.
He also refused the TSA pat down, telling the agent, "if you touch my junk and I'm going to have you arrested."
Agent 1 called Agent 2 over to discuss the now secondary situation of Tyner refusing the pat down. It went like this according to the video:
"You have a couple of choices here, someone is going to pat you down and they will placing their hand up your inner thigh until they reach the bottom of your torso. If you're not comfortable with that we can escort you back out and you don't have to fly today." "I don't understand how sexual assault can be made a condition of my flight."
"This is not considered a sexual assault."
"It would be if you weren't the government."
"This is considered an administrative search and we're authorized to do it. You have submitted yourself to it by coming through the checkpoint."
During the argument, Tyner agreed to go through a metal detector but airport security did not make that option available to him. They refused to allow him to board his plane and his ticket was refunded.
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While leaving the airport, another unidentified security official told Tyner he could be sued civilly and fined $10,000 if he exited without undergoing a search," reports LA Now.
If only Benjamin Franklin had something poignant to say about the matter.
Feel free to join in the touchy debate about whether airport security measures have gone too far.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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