I have been wanting opinions on this situation I experienced at the airport, but was afraid to post it in general CC because I didn't want to get beaten up with comments invalidating my experience. "Not everything is about race," "this is what's wrong with the world--people are too sensitive," etc. Everything IS about race when you are a POC and if wanting to be treated equally to my white peers makes me too sensitive, then I guess I am "what's wrong with the world."

Anyway, here is the story. I am biracial and look ethnically ambiguous. People have asked if I am Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latino... (I identify as Latina). I have thick, dark, very curly hair. 

I travel a lot and almost every time I go through TSA at the airport I get searched. I noticed I will most definitely get searched if my hair is natural and down. They go through my bags, pat me down, everything. Sometimes they even search my hair. And I follow all rules and don't get searched because there was a problem. It's always a "random" search. 

The last time I was at the airport, TSA brought me to tears. They told me they had to search me, which I expected, but then a female security guard said she had to search my breast area. I wasn't wearing a bra and had on a thin black shirt. She cupped and groped all around both breasts right there in public. While this was happening, I was watching a man go through my bags, pulling out my underwear. 

I can't even begin to explain what I was feeling. Shame, fury, sadness, frustration.... But for some reason I froze and did nothing. I am a very vocal woman and have always stood up for myself and others. I just froze. I am so mad at myself for letting that happen. I just let them violate me and went to the bathroom and cried. 

I am so frustrated and angry that this happens to people. I KNOW this happened to me because I look Middle Eastern and my heart breaks for my Middle Eastern and Arab sisters who face worse than this every day. Anyone who says systemic racism isn't a problem is blind. 

Well that is the story. Any thoughts on this or TSA searches?