I know it's not quite as bad as what your wife went through, but when I was 16 coming back from a group trip to France (my first time overseas and out of the country) TSA stopped ME specifically (none of the other teens) and said I had triggered their metal detectors. It was the hair clips in my hair that triggered it, but they patted me down anyway. And when I say "patted down" what I really mean is a grown adult man rubbed his hands VERY thoroughly all over my body in front of my whole group. After he had felt me up well enough to his liking he sent me on my way and I felt so embarrassed and awkward. All over some HAIR CLIPS that I showed to them. Nope, they didn't care. Whatever excuse they can get to feel up teen girls. And this was after I had already been felt up by some weird old man while I was in France. Needless to say I was so done with nonsense like that.
This stuff pisses me off. Demand a same-sex person, and demand a police officer if the opposite sex gropes you. If they refuse starting yelling rape or he is sexually assaulting me. That is 100% not allowed.
I'm a male and wasn't assaulted, but I had one of the TSA goons try to steal my computer screwdriver kit in Kansas City. He tried to tell me it wasn't allowed, and I produced a paper I printed beforehand that specifically said (from their website) kits like mine were allowed. When he wouldn't give it back I yelled at the cop outside the secured area that the TSA officer (they are NOT agents) was stealing my stuff and he came over. I showed him the paper and showed him the site on my phone and he gave me my kit.
I am TSA-precheck, Global Entry, and at the time I was American Airlines Executive Platinum. I am also a million-miler. I know how to travel and what they can and can't do. I also stopped flying in 2020 and will not fly again until TSA is abolished. I didn't put up with their crap from the beginning. I never went into one of the nudie scanners and made them pat me down if I wasn't able to use the metal detectors. While I was being patted down I would point out the Nuclear Regulatory Commission seal on my polo shirt and tell the officer that he should stay away from those scanners when possible to avoid the inevitable cancer in a few years. Anything I could do to make them the uncomfortable one I would do. It gets exhausting, but it was necessary.
TSA is such a joke and honestly protects very little. They pull aside white males more often than other groups whom you would more normally associate with trouble on planes (if you get my meaning). Probably because TSA is now trained to believe that "white supremacy" is the most dangerous thing on flights.
I had a male TSA agent grope my boobs because my underwire bra set off the metal detector. He did this even after the handheld wand clearly beeped right under my boobs. He even asked "are you wearing an underwire?" Then proceeded to "make sure that's what it was." And he did it in front of everyone else in line. I was in college at the time, it was not too long after 9/11. It was humiliating. Needless to say I never wore an underwire bra to the airport again. Funny that my bra had never set off the metal detector before, and I had flown extensively in my youth.
I only wear sports bras now when flying to avoid this nonsense. It's more comfy anyway, AND it's harder for a TSA agent to "accidentally" slip his hand under your bra to feel up even more than he should. Disgusting that this is even an issue we need to be aware of and protect ourselves from.
I know it's not quite as bad as what your wife went through, but when I was 16 coming back from a group trip to France (my first time overseas and out of the country) TSA stopped ME specifically (none of the other teens) and said I had triggered their metal detectors. It was the hair clips in my hair that triggered it, but they patted me down anyway. And when I say "patted down" what I really mean is a grown adult man rubbed his hands VERY thoroughly all over my body in front of my whole group. After he had felt me up well enough to his liking he sent me on my way and I felt so embarrassed and awkward. All over some HAIR CLIPS that I showed to them. Nope, they didn't care. Whatever excuse they can get to feel up teen girls. And this was after I had already been felt up by some weird old man while I was in France. Needless to say I was so done with nonsense like that.
This stuff pisses me off. Demand a same-sex person, and demand a police officer if the opposite sex gropes you. If they refuse starting yelling rape or he is sexually assaulting me. That is 100% not allowed.
I'm a male and wasn't assaulted, but I had one of the TSA goons try to steal my computer screwdriver kit in Kansas City. He tried to tell me it wasn't allowed, and I produced a paper I printed beforehand that specifically said (from their website) kits like mine were allowed. When he wouldn't give it back I yelled at the cop outside the secured area that the TSA officer (they are NOT agents) was stealing my stuff and he came over. I showed him the paper and showed him the site on my phone and he gave me my kit.
I am TSA-precheck, Global Entry, and at the time I was American Airlines Executive Platinum. I am also a million-miler. I know how to travel and what they can and can't do. I also stopped flying in 2020 and will not fly again until TSA is abolished. I didn't put up with their crap from the beginning. I never went into one of the nudie scanners and made them pat me down if I wasn't able to use the metal detectors. While I was being patted down I would point out the Nuclear Regulatory Commission seal on my polo shirt and tell the officer that he should stay away from those scanners when possible to avoid the inevitable cancer in a few years. Anything I could do to make them the uncomfortable one I would do. It gets exhausting, but it was necessary.
TSA is such a joke and honestly protects very little. They pull aside white males more often than other groups whom you would more normally associate with trouble on planes (if you get my meaning). Probably because TSA is now trained to believe that "white supremacy" is the most dangerous thing on flights.
I had a male TSA agent grope my boobs because my underwire bra set off the metal detector. He did this even after the handheld wand clearly beeped right under my boobs. He even asked "are you wearing an underwire?" Then proceeded to "make sure that's what it was." And he did it in front of everyone else in line. I was in college at the time, it was not too long after 9/11. It was humiliating. Needless to say I never wore an underwire bra to the airport again. Funny that my bra had never set off the metal detector before, and I had flown extensively in my youth.
I only wear sports bras now when flying to avoid this nonsense. It's more comfy anyway, AND it's harder for a TSA agent to "accidentally" slip his hand under your bra to feel up even more than he should. Disgusting that this is even an issue we need to be aware of and protect ourselves from.