“A few months ago I was on my way back home from Nebraska where we had a holiday vacation with some family friends. The flight getting there was smooth, the party was fun, but coming back… I don’t think I can ever forget what happened. I’m a bit self conscious about my body so I stood on the line for the regular metal detector even though it was much longer than those nude body scanners. I was only on the line for a few minutes when a TSA officer approached me and said I’ve been ‘randomly’ selected for a pat down. Your cousins were with me and they were just as horrified as I was. I refused and refused and I even threatened the agent with lawsuit. Nothing worked though, and it ended with the TSA official grabbing me by the arm and forcing me onto the carpet area where pat downs are done. The worst part of the experience was when the officer told me to relax and said I would feel a ‘tightness’ as he pressed upward against my groin and butt area. I’ve never felt so violated… And I had to go through all this for what? Just because my skin color is brown? Because I’m unfortunate enough to have the stereotypical look of a terrorist? It’s unfair, it’s wrong, and it shouldn’t happen to anyone.”

– My Aunt, Alpa Trivedi (translated to english) Queens, NY