TSA announces plans to implement gender-neutral screening at airport checkpoints

The Transportation Security Administration on Thursday morning announced new standards for screening transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming airline passengers at airport checkpoints.

The agency said the changes are to "improve the screening experience for all passengers" and announced them on International Transgender Day of Visibility. 

TSA also said the new standards will go into effect after the implementation of new technology that will in part replace the current, gender-based system, which will be more accurate and "advance civil rights and improve the customer experience of travelers who previously have been required to undergo additional screening due to alarms in sensitive areas."

If the testing of the new technology proves successful, the agency will begin deploying the other updates to airports later this year including:

• Reducing the number of pat-down screenings
• Streamlining identity validation
• Making TSA PreCheck more inclusive to include an "X" gender marker option on its application
• Updating its Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Passengers web page to provide information to the traveling public on all gender-related updates

"Over the coming months, TSA will move swiftly to implement more secure and efficient screening processes that are gender neutral, as well as technological updates that will enhance security and make TSA PreCheck® enrollment more inclusive," agency Administrator David Pekoske said. "These combined efforts will greatly enhance airport security and screening procedures for all."