Frisked for being Mormon!

[dahlia]

I got pulled aside at the airport and asked to step into the xray tube. Then the TSA agent said she had to pat me down around my knees - the xray showed something there. I thought for a moment and remembered I'd put on a new pair of garments right out of the bag.

I told her i was Mormon and had on garments. She was probably seeing the elastic. I got patted down around my knees and let go. : )

[Just_A_Guy]

Couldn'ta happened to a nicer attorney. Will you be needing co-counsel for your federal action?

[pam]

Couldn'ta happened to a nicer attorney. Will you be needing co-counsel for your federal action?

Dahlia isn't an attorney. :)

[Just_A_Guy]

Huh. For some reason I thought Dahlia was a (former?) attorney; though I understand she's in academia now.

[Canuck Mormon]

I think you should re-name the thread. You weren't "Frisked for being Mormon". You were pulled aside because they saw an anomoly that just happened to be your garments.

[RipplecutBuddha]

I think you should re-name the thread. You weren't "Frisked for being Mormon". You were pulled aside because they saw an anomoly that just happened to be your garments.

and once again, the tongue-in-cheek tone is totally missed....

[Gwen]

I'm kinda confused though. Does the elastic on regular undies show up? Do they grab everyone else's butt? lol I guess if they are used to recognizing what it is around the butt and the knees threw them off.... so did they think you weren't wearing any undies?

All kinda weird to me. lol I'm glad you didn't have to put up with being fondled though.

[Mahone]

I've had my fair share of "run-ins" with the TSA, although not anything related to being LDS. I've been taken into an interview room and questioned for up to an hour three times in the last two years, each on different trips to the USA. The first and second time were because when asked for the purpose of my trip, I didn't answer with the standard "holiday" or "business" responses, which seems to automatically warrant an interview, and the third time was because I'd already flown into the states only four or five months prior. The TSA agent told me off, insisting that my activity wasn't normal for a tourist, regardless of the fact that I had already told her I wasn't there for tourism, and I was there to see my wife and her family (my wife hadn't been given permission to live in the UK at the time, so we were living apart).

Ironically, on each trip I've been on to the states, they have specifically asked me whether I intended to get married whilst there, except for the one time that I did actually intend to get married - for some reason he forgot to ask then. Oh well lol.

[dahlia]

I suspect they are used to seeing panty lines, if they see them at all, further up the leg. What would folks do if the agent had asked to see their garment? I have no idea why elastic would show up on the xray, but the agent said she was looking at the picture and asking about specific places on the picture.

And yes, I don't think they pulled me aside because I had a Book of Mormon on my iPad's kindle. I made the comment because I thought the situation was funny.

Btw - I am speaking for an hour on the role of the talk in sacrament meeting to transfer knowledge and organizational culture for the Center for Religion and Information at the Am Theological library Assn. I'm excited, tho we Mormon school marms try not to get too carried away ( which is difficult after having your legs felt up) .

[Bini]

What would folks do if the agent had asked to see their garment?

I could be wrong but if TSA makes such a request as per following protocol in various situations, I don't think travelers have many options but two: comply or turnaround and leave the airport?

I got frisked pretty well while going through the airports 6 months pregnant. I refused the scanners and so that was my second option. It was really awkward and a bit uncomfortable to be honest.

[NightSG]

The first and second time were because when asked for the purpose of my trip, I didn't answer with the standard "holiday" or "business" responses, which seems to automatically warrant an interview,

"Delivering crystal meth and explosives" didn't get you waved through?

[Gwen]

You wouldn't have to expose yourself or your garments inappropriately if asked to "show" them. I've voluntarily "shown" ppl before with no issues.

I had a friend that was in school to become a physical therapist (including some massage). They had a class where they talked about taking precautions to respect different beliefs. One they discussed was LDS and their garments (she was left with the impression that everyone, including children wore them). She came to me with questions because she was confused. I had no problem sharing that info with her and even pulled up my pant leg and showed the hem, my shirt sleeve and showed the hem. She was able to see exactly what it covered and meant. It was a great discussion and her reaction was more of "that's not so bad" than the impression she was left with after her class.

the lady that made my wedding dress had to make some modifications to the pattern to accommodate garments. Again we showed her the hem of the back and front, etc so she could see exactly what she was working with and not cut it too close. She was very respectful and wonderful about it, no awkwardness or thinking I was weird.

So if a TSA agent said, "I see something on the x-ray machine around your knee" I would have no issue showing them the hem of my garments. Unless I was wearing pants that made the only possible way to drop my pants... then they will just have to enjoy groping my knees. lol

[dahlia]

Huh. For some reason I thought Dahlia was a (former?) attorney; though I understand she's in academia now.

Yes, I'm the proud holder of a JD, LLM in Tax and a PhD, not to mention my MS in Information. I can solve anybody's problems and create quite a few of my own. I practiced law for years before switching careers.