Airport pat downs raise concerns about sexual harassment.

Publication: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)

Bookmark this article Print this article Link to this article Email this article Digg It! Add to del.icio.us RSS

COPYRIGHT 2004 South Florida Sun-Sentinal

Byline: Ken Kaye

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Airport security pat downs might constitute sexual harassment and discriminate against women, the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday.

After receiving numerous complaints from around the nation, the organization hopes to meet with top Homeland Security administrators next week to ask whether screeners are given specific standards on how to select passengers and conduct secondary screenings.

The ACLU is concerned that women, more than men, are targeted for pat downs. If so, that raises questions whether the Transportation Security Administration is discriminating on the basis of gender, said Barry Steinhardt, of the ACLU's New York office.

"What they're doing is subjecting women to very aggressive, intrusive searches," he said. "We're worried that this is, in fact,...

Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.