US airport security screening to become more gender-neutral yesterday

Biden administration announced changes to screening scanners and the use of an "X" for travellers who do not identify as male or female. Photo / 123rf

US airport security procedures will become more gender-neutral, with changes to scanners used for screening and the use of an "X" for travellers going through Precheck who do not identify as male or female, the Biden administration said Thursday.

Transportation Security Administration officers will also receive new instructions on screening intended to make procedures less invasive, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

They are among a series of travel-security measures announced by the department in conjunction with Transgender Day of Visibility.

President Joe Biden is marking the day by advocating against what his administration terms "dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks" that have passed in statehouses across the country.

"DHS is committed to protecting the travelling public while ensuring that everyone, regardless of gender identity, is treated with respect," Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in the statement.

The Transportation Security Administration said it will update the PreCheck Program to include an "X" gender marker option on its application, but the agency did not provide a date.

A new "X" gender marker on US passport applications begins April 11.

Later this year, TSA will begin using scanners with new technology that will replace gender-based systems and are intended to "advance civil rights and improve the customer experience."

The TSA will work with airlines to promote the acceptance of the "X" gender marker and will also update the guidance for airport security screening officers to remove gender considerations when validating documents, DHS said.

Due to the way full-body scanners at airports work, transgender travellers have previously accounted for a disproportionate number of issues at screening. For some, this has resulted in humiliating searches.

"The TSA uses millimetre wave scanners at checkpoints. The scans are processed by an algorithm that compares your body to a 'typical' male or female body," wrote American journalist Lucas Waldron on Twitter.

"If your body doesn't line up with the algorithm's programming, then you will be flagged for a pat-down," they wrote.

Issues around travel and gender aren't just being challenged in the US either. In December 2021, a British activist lost a legal challenge at the UK's highest court to the government's policy of not allowing gender-neutral passports.

— The Associated Press with additional reporting