JFK … WTF? YesterdaySex Feed reported on two ladies, Lenore Zimmerman, 85 and Ruth Sherman, 88, who said they were strip searched by TSA officials at JFK International Airport. It seems their medical equipment—a back brace and a colostomy bag, respectively—caught the interest of the security team.
Today, add Linda Kallish, 66, to the list. Kalish is diabetic and has an insulin pump strapped to one leg and a glucose monitor to the other. It set off the metal detector, so a TSA officer took her to a private room and told her to remove her pants.
The TSA says it’s investigating the Kallish and Sherman incidents, but disputes Zimmerman’s story in a post you can read on the TSA blog.
Which begs at least few questions:
Why would Zimmerman lie about a thing like that? (her story is pretty unpleasant).
Can’t there be a way to document a person’s need for such equipment—kind of the way your driver’s license says if you require corrective lenses— and thus avoid situations like this for both passengers and TSA officials? Is that naive?
And will these Golden Girls turn the tables and sue the pants off the TSA?
That’s probably unlikely since this is what security means now. But we feel for the Golden Girls … being sick is a bad enough trip as it is.