Rep. Betty McCollum is one of 32 members of Congress demanding answers from the Transportation Security Administration over that agency’s treatment of transgender passengers.

“We write to express our strong concerns regarding the treatment of transgender individuals by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA),” the members of Congress wrote. They were concerned about the case of Shadi Petosky who was traveling to Minneapolis from Orlando. She was detained for 40 minutes because TSA workers identified an “anomaly” when Petosky went through the full-body scanners, the New York Times reported in September.

“Unfortunately, Ms. Petosky’s experience is just the latest of a string of reports from travelers across the country. In the days since Ms. Petosky’s story became public, we have heard from numerous members of the transgender community describing harassing and humiliating experiences while going through airport security,” the members of Congress wrote in a letter to TSA Chief Peter Neffenger. “While we understand the importance of vigilant airport security, we cannot countenance a security protocol that subjects transgender travelers to this level of indignity. To that end, we urge TSA to complete a thorough review of its current procedures and address any shortcomings that may, however unintentionally, subject transgender travelers to inequitable or improper treatment by security personnel.”

The lawmakers identified four areas of concern. First, they want TSA to stop making discretionary determinations about passengers’ gender identity. “In light of this issue, we urge the TSA to implement a screening protocol that does not rely on TSOs making often-subjective decisions about an individual’s gender identity.”

Second, they are asking the TSA to develop guidelines for screening that are sensitive to the needs of transgender and gender non-conforming passengers and to clearly state civil rights protections as well as explicit means for passengers to provide feedback:

“To ensure transgender passengers are fully informed about all security screening expectations, we request that the TSA publishes detailed guidelines on its website to address these commonly asked questions, among others, and to include a clear explanation of the civil rights protections to which all transgender passengers are entitled to during the screening process.”

Third, the lawmakers are asking for specific training for TSA employees that covers gender identity.

Finally, the lawmakers praised TSA for taking Petosky’s case seriously, and are asking the agency to share results of its internal investigation publicly.

“While being mindful of enacting the appropriate security precautions to keep all travelers safe, the TSA must also take steps to ensure that its employees are prepared to serve transgender individuals with the dignity, discretion, and respect that they, like all Americans, deserve. We appreciate your willingness to engage on this important issue,” the letter concluded.

The full letter:

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