• 19
  • August
    2011

California is often seen as a forerunner for the LGBT movement. However, a recent case involving the sexual harassment of a LAX airport employee shows that there is still room for improvement.

The 29-year-old had been working at the airport for two years and was undergoing hormone therapy to become a woman. Despite her gender identification as a woman, she was ordered by her superiors to pat down male passengers. In addition, she was told to cut her hair, wear men's clothing and use the men's restroom. Although her California driver's license identifies her as a woman, managers stated that because she had not yet undergone surgery she was still, physically, a man.

While following orders as a security checkpoint screener, she was subjected to lewd comments from men as she was patting them down. Passengers would note her feminine appearance, despite her altered hairstyle and dress, and they made inappropriate comments during their interaction. When she complained of sexual harassment and discrimination to her superiors, she was fired.

She filed a civil rights suit with the help of the Transgender Law Center and received five months of back pay along with tens of thousands of dollars in the settlement with LAX. The airport now requires sensitivity training in order to prevent similar problems in the future.

The 29-year-old hopes that her story will help the LGBT movement progress in America and change discriminatory policies. She hopes others can use her story to help their own cases in the future.

Source: TIME, "Transgender TSA Agent Who Was Forced to Pat Down Men Wins Settlement," Zachary Cohen, Aug. 8, 2011