Woman Says TSA Forced Piercings Removal

Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:51 PM EDT

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(showing 1 of 2 photos)

LOS ANGELES — A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation.

"I wouldn't wish this experience upon anyone," Mandi Hamlin said at a news conference. "My experience with TSA was a nightmare I had to endure. No one deserves to be treated this way."

Hamlin, 37, said she was trying to board a flight from Lubbock to Dallas on Feb. 24 when she was scanned by a Transportation Security Administration agent after passing through a larger metal detector without problems.

The female TSA agent used a handheld detector that beeped when it passed in front of Hamlin's chest, the Dallas-area resident said.

Hamlin said she told the woman she was wearing nipple piercings. The agent then called over her male colleagues, one of whom said she would have to remove the jewelry, Hamlin said.

Hamlin said she could not remove them and asked whether she could instead display her pierced breasts in private to the female agent. But several other male officers told her she could not board her flight until the jewelry was out, she said.

She was taken behind a curtain and managed to remove one bar-shaped piercing but had trouble with the second, a ring.

"Still crying, she informed the TSA officer that she could not remove it without the help of pliers, and the officer gave a pair to her," said Hamlin's attorney, Gloria Allred, reading from a letter she sent Thursday to the director of the TSA's Office of Civil Rights and Liberties. Allred is a well-known Los Angeles lawyer who often represents high-profile claims.

Applying pliers to the torso of a mannequin that had a peach-colored bra with the rings on it, Hamlin showed reporters at the news conference how she took off the second ring.

She said she heard male TSA agents snickering as she took out the ring. She was scanned again and was allowed to board even though she still was wearing a belly button ring.

"After nipple rings are inserted, the skin can often heal around the piercing, and the rings can be extremely difficult and painful to remove," Allred said in the letter.

TSA officials said they are investigating to see whether its policies were followed.

"Our security officers are well-trained to screen individuals with body piercings in sensitive areas with dignity and respect while ensuring a high level of security," the agency said in a statement.

On its Web site, the TSA warns that passengers "may be additionally screened because of hidden items such as body piercings, which alarmed the metal detector."

"If you are selected for additional screening, you may ask to remove your body piercing in private as an alternative to a pat-down search," the site says.

Hamlin would have accepted a "pat-down" had it been offered, Allred said.

If an alarm does sound, "until that is resolved, we're not going to let them go through the checkpoint, no matter what they're wearing or where they're wearing it," said TSA spokesman Dwayne Baird in Salt Lake City.

People routinely pass through security wearing wedding rings without problems, and it might take a larger bit of metal to trigger an alarm, Baird said.

Hamlin filed a complaint, but the TSA's customer service manager at the Lubbock airport concluded the screening was handled properly, Allred said.

Hamlin wants an apology from the TSA and an investigation by the agency's civil rights office.

Allred said she might consider legal action if the TSA does not apologize.

Hamlin was publicly humiliated and has "undergone an enormous amount of physical pain to have the nipple rings reinserted" because of scar tissue, Allred said.

Hamlin said her piercings have never set off an airport metal detector.

"The conduct of TSA was cruel and unnecessary," Allred wrote. "The last time that I checked a nipple was not a dangerous weapon."

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Greg Risling's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Newsvine Feminists, Question Authority, RightsVine, Texvine community
Regions: United States , Los Angeles

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3.1

{"commentId":1628080,"authorDomain":"thetalkingmule"}

Harris from the PostDeleted

{"commentId":1628124,"authorDomain":"djd"}

djd

eBay does a good line in exploding nipple rings.

{"commentId":1628124,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"djd"}

4 votes

#2 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:12 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628147,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

Henry VII

Damn. Some TSA agents must be masochists...

{"commentId":1628147,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

5 votes

#3 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:18 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628501,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

Ryan Stolte-Sawa

Sadists, I think you mean.

{"commentId":1628501,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

7 votes

#3.1 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:23 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628507,"authorDomain":"hemphill"}

hemphill

I know a few of both persuasions.

{"commentId":1628507,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"hemphill"}

2 votes

#3.2 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:26 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628575,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

Henry VII

Sadists, I think you mean.

Probably switch. ;-)

{"commentId":1628575,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

3 votes

#3.3 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:50 PM EDT

{"commentId":1629362,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

I am a little surprised that the TSA guy was smart enough to use pliers, I would have guessed he use his teeth.

{"commentId":1629362,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

5 votes

#3.4 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:29 AM EDT

{"commentId":1628216,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

She had some poorly done nipple rings if there was scar tissue that made it hard to reinsert.

{"commentId":1628216,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

2 votes

#4 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:41 PM EDT

{"commentId":1630066,"authorDomain":"gwenny"}

Gwenny

No, it more about maintenance after the piercing. Granted, I only have pierced ears, the idea of jabbing a needle through anything else, except possibly my nose, causes me to recoil. But I did let my third set of ear piercings heal to the stud and had to endure a bit of pain to break them free.

AND, if she had no anticipation of ever wanting to remove them, that was her option.

{"commentId":1630066,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"gwenny"}

1 vote

#4.1 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:19 AM EDT

{"commentId":1628261,"authorDomain":"thetalkingmule"}

Harris from the Post

TSA is populated with bleary eyed morons and this kind of crap is going to happen every day. If you're willing to ram a piece of steel through your nipple, I'm sure you can handle a typical American inconvenience at the hands of the mentally incapacitated TSA.

{"commentId":1628261,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"thetalkingmule"}

1 vote

#5 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:58 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628460,"authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

SteveHouse

Yeah, okay. That makes perfect sense then.

Wait, what am I thinking? No it doesn't! Just because it happens all the time means we should accept it? GTFO. A piercing is different from ripping out a (probably very old) piercing, bro. Apparatuses are designed to pierce your body, and after years of having nipple piercings they were probably almost immobile because of the skin that had healed around them! She probably tore a hole in her nipple the size of the ball on the end, which is, and I know this will blow your mind, a sh!t-ton bigger than the piercing hole was, and a sh!t-ton more painful.

{"commentId":1628460,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

6 votes

#5.1 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:09 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628468,"authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

SteveHouse

#5.1: Whoa, buddy. You should probably calm down.

(reports self)

Interesting side note: Whoa, Nick Ut took that picture? Nick Ut also took the world-changing image of Phan Thi Kim Phuc.

{"commentId":1628468,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

2 votes

#5.2 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:12 PM EDT

{"commentId":1629350,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

Many nipple piercings are not through the nipple itself, just fyi, but through the aureole.

{"commentId":1629350,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

1 vote

#5.3 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:23 AM EDT

{"commentId":1630920,"authorDomain":"pixiequix"}

pixiequix

TSA is populated with bleary eyed morons and this kind of crap is going to happen every day. If you're willing to ram a piece of steel through your nipple, I'm sure you can handle a typical American inconvenience at the hands of the mentally incapacitated TSA.

Having your body violated and manhandled is not a typical American inconvenience.

There's also a pretty big difference between having a professional use sterilized instruments to pierce your body in a private setting, with your full consent; and having some hired goon rip a piercing out of your body against your will with a pair of pliers! It doesn't matter if the people who did it were bleary eyed morons, there's absolutely no reason to tolerate this type of treatment!

{"commentId":1630920,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"pixiequix"}

4 votes

#5.4 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:51 PM EDT

{"commentId":1631440,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

Henry VII

Having your body violated and manhandled is not a typical American inconvenience.

Someone doesn't fly often...

{"commentId":1631440,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

4 votes

#5.5 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 5:26 PM EDT

{"commentId":1631666,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

having some hired goon rip a piercing out of your body against your will with a pair of pliers!

They had the traveler do it herself actually.

{"commentId":1631666,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

1 vote

#5.6 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:37 PM EDT

{"commentId":1631717,"authorDomain":"pixiequix"}

pixiequix

Someone doesn't fly often...

Hmm... Well, last time I checked, the use of pliers to forcibly rip jewelry out of a person's genitals wasn't yet standard operating procedure for boarding a plane.

{"commentId":1631717,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"pixiequix"}

2 votes

#5.7 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:54 PM EDT

{"commentId":1631919,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

Henry VII

Boobs are genitals?

And while this may be an extreme case, millions of people are patted-down every day. You don't have to rip out a piercing to manhandle someone.

{"commentId":1631919,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

5 votes

#5.8 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:05 PM EDT

{"commentId":1632136,"authorDomain":"pixiequix"}

pixiequix

Boobs are genitals?

They're a part of the female reproductive system.

You don't have to rip out a piercing to manhandle someone.

I agree. That's why I wrote "violated and manhandled" in my original comment, to emphasize the fact that this incident went beyond the everyday level of manhandling that occurs in airports.

{"commentId":1632136,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"pixiequix"}

5 votes

#5.9 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:34 PM EDT

{"commentId":1632410,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

Henry VII

They're a part of the female reproductive system.

They are not required for reproduction.

Nice after the fact excuse.

{"commentId":1632410,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

2 votes

#5.10 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:01 PM EDT

{"commentId":1632753,"authorDomain":"gwenny"}

Gwenny

They are considered secondary sexual organs. Just fyi.

{"commentId":1632753,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"gwenny"}

1 vote

#5.11 - Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:01 AM EDT

{"commentId":1632771,"authorDomain":"pixiequix"}

pixiequix

They are not required for reproduction.

A woman's breasts play a pivotal role in the human reproductive cycle.

Nice after the fact excuse.

What I said wasn't an excuse, it was an elucidation of my earlier comment.

With all due respect, why don't you put forth an argument for where you stand on the matter?
You know, instead of continually criticizing what other people have to say.

{"commentId":1632771,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"pixiequix"}

2 votes

#5.12 - Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:06 AM EDT

{"commentId":1636485,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

All this argument over boobs misses the point.

the use of pliers to forcibly rip jewelry out of a person's genitals wasn't yet standard operating procedure for boarding a plane.

1) There was no forcible ripping, TSA asked her to remove the piercing, and she asked for pliers to get it out.
2) This is NOT standard operating procedure, as was made explicitly clear in the article. Just power mad peons exceeding their authority.

{"commentId":1636485,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

1 vote

#5.13 - Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:35 AM EDT

{"commentId":1637866,"authorDomain":"DanLS"}

Dan LS

Just power mad peons exceeding their authority.

That's pretty much been my experience with all of TSA. However, I would love to hear their side of it.... these particular agents trying to explain why this was necessary would be priceless.

{"commentId":1637866,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"DanLS"}

2 votes

#5.14 - Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:22 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628299,"authorDomain":"prez"}

Matt Kennedy

Aggggghhh horrible mental images!!!!!

{"commentId":1628299,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"prez"}

1 vote

#6 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:13 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628391,"authorDomain":"nitewingsg1"}

Lotto

Wacky, wacky, USA. it's out of control. If only King George had been doing his job.

{"commentId":1628391,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"nitewingsg1"}

2 votes

#7 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:45 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628422,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

Henry VII

Why do your job when religious fanatics will keep you in office either way?

{"commentId":1628422,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

3 votes

#7.1 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:55 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628557,"authorDomain":"caroaber"}

caroaber

King George-- "a sick, mad, blind, despised and dying king." Nah, we're better off without him.

The agents didn't handle the situation too well, but that doesn't make them morons. This passenger could have made enquiries, done a little homework. We have some bad policies (like the 3 ounce liquid limit!) , but we shouldn't force pain upon our passengers either.

{"commentId":1628557,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"caroaber"}

1 vote

#7.2 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:45 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628439,"authorDomain":"mamaw"}

Best Mamaw

Hmm, let's think about this...the TSA can insist that a woman remove certain body piercings and yet George W. Bush continues as 'the decider' of what's left of this country. Think there's no connection? THINK AGAIN.

{"commentId":1628439,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"mamaw"}

1 vote

#8 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:02 PM EDT

{"commentId":1629352,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

Yes, I think there's no connection. None whatsoever. What connection do you see?

{"commentId":1629352,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

2 votes

#8.1 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:24 AM EDT

{"commentId":1628506,"authorDomain":"PurelyPolitical"}

Bodhi1

So, just so we are all clear: It is George Bush's fault this lady had to take out her nipple rings.

My God I miss personal responsibility.

{"commentId":1628506,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"PurelyPolitical"}

4 votes

#9 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:26 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628562,"authorDomain":"behindmyscreen"}

Behind My Screen

????

{"commentId":1628562,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"behindmyscreen"}

5 votes

#9.1 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:46 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628571,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

Ryan Stolte-Sawa

My God I miss personal responsibility.

"Gosh, I might get on a plane someday. I better not pierce my nipples!"

Come on.

{"commentId":1628571,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

6 votes

#9.2 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:50 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628581,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

Henry VII

My God I miss personal responsibility.

I miss the times when airports weren't freedom-free zones.

Well, as long as you bible thumpers are safe from nipple piercings - it's worth it, right?

{"commentId":1628581,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}

10 votes

#9.3 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:52 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628586,"authorDomain":"biggerthebetter"}

biggerthebetter

No, but it is the Bush administration's fault that we mistrust all of our fellow citizens, and our government mistrusts all of us as well. None of us are viewed as citizens anymore, so much as we are viewed as potential terrorists.

Mistrust isn't freedom.

{"commentId":1628586,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"biggerthebetter"}

2 votes

#9.4 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:53 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628653,"authorDomain":"Jivatmanx"}

Jivatman

My God I miss personal responsibility.

My God I miss human @!$%#ing dignity. Government is responsible to the people. When that changes, tyranny begins. You may sit idly by when your eternal rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are taken from you under the auspices of personal responsibility, patriotism, terrorism, or whatever new emotional buzzwords the real terrorists come up with, but I sure as hell won't.

I'm sure you'd have gone all the way in the Milgram experiment.

{"commentId":1628653,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Jivatmanx"}

4 votes

#9.5 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:21 PM EDT

{"commentId":1629357,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

"Gosh, I might get on a plane someday. I better not pierce my nipples!"

Come on.

Wow guys. I thought it was abundantly clear that Bodhi1 was saying that it was the fault of the TSA agents who did this, who need to bear personal responsibility for their actions.

Do you disagree with that?

Accusing Bodhi1 of being a freedom sacrificing sadist is inflammatory, off topic, and untrue, just fyi.

{"commentId":1629357,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

2 votes

#9.6 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:27 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629395,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

Ryan Stolte-Sawa

Wow guys. I thought it was abundantly clear that Bodhi1 was saying that it was the fault of the TSA agents who did this, who need to bear personal responsibility for their actions.

Heh, yeah, the four question marks and stream of comments misunderstanding his aim really set it in stone. Sorry, I didn't read it that way. If that's what he meant, I concur.

{"commentId":1629395,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

1 vote

#9.7 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:42 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629932,"authorDomain":"enigmaobscura"}

enigma

I'm sure you'd have gone all the way in the Milgram experiment.

That's a good reference. For those who don't know about it, read it here. I was actually thinking about the Stanford Prison Experiment myself.

{"commentId":1629932,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"enigmaobscura"}

2 votes

#9.8 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:48 AM EDT

{"commentId":1630680,"authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

SteveHouse

That's what I got out of it, Brian.

{"commentId":1630680,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

2 votes

#9.9 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:43 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628529,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

Ryan Stolte-Sawa

"If you are selected for additional screening, you may ask to remove your body piercing in private as an alternative to a pat-down search," the site says.

Hamlin would have accepted a "pat-down" had it been offered, Allred said.

If an alarm does sound, "until that is resolved, we're not going to let them go through the checkpoint, no matter what they're wearing or where they're wearing it," said TSA spokesman Dwayne Baird in Salt Lake City.

*sigh* Resolved, or removed? The TSA has a habit of holding individuals to some standards and not others--say, allowing someone to continue to wear a bellybutton ring after forcing them to remove their nipple piercings. In other words, they have no standards.

For too long travelers have been subject to arbitrary "regulations" designed to produce the illusion of security at the hands of agents and technologies that are ultimately unreliable and unqualified to handle real threats. Frankly, I feel far more vulnerable at the hands of airport cops today than I did after 9/11. When is someone going to man up and stop this blatant abuse of authority?

{"commentId":1628529,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

14 votes

#10 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:35 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628540,"authorDomain":"hemphill"}

hemphill

Perhaps the first time they have to watch someone tear out a prince albert with a pair of pliers...

{"commentId":1628540,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"hemphill"}

7 votes

#10.1 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:39 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628551,"authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

SteveHouse

Ok, stole-sawa. You pierce your nipples. I'll grab a knife. While they're strip-searching you, I'll slip in unnoticed. Then we'll.... have something to cut our steak with, how are you doing, Mr. FBI man?

{"commentId":1628551,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

2 votes

#10.2 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:43 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628564,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

Ryan Stolte-Sawa

Perhaps the first time they have to watch someone tear out a prince albert with a pair of pliers...

*shudder* Never gonna happen.

Ok, stole-sawa. You pierce your nipples. I'll grab a knife. While they're strip-searching you, I'll slip in unnoticed. Then we'll.... have something to cut our steak with, how are you doing, Mr. FBI man?

Nipple rings? No thanks. Steak, on the other hand, sounds delicious.

{"commentId":1628564,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

4 votes

#10.3 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:48 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628954,"authorDomain":"swornfuk"}

swornfuk

That must've been a huge nipple ring. I have 8g earrings and I didn't set off the metal detectors when I went to Hawaii for New Years.

P.S. Thanks for the mental picture of a ripped out P.A. I needed that.

{"commentId":1628954,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"swornfuk"}

2 votes

#10.4 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:55 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629363,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

I've had a nipple ring since I was 18 - never set off either the large metal detectors or the handheld scanners. Meanwhile I've had steel toed boots set off the large scanner, had a cigarette pack set off the large scanner (from the foil), had a belt buckle set it off... just about everything else that could.

{"commentId":1629363,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

1 vote

#10.5 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:30 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629399,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

Ryan Stolte-Sawa

Could it be a difference in type or meld of metals, Brian?

{"commentId":1629399,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}

2 votes

#10.6 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:44 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629432,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

Different metals will set the scanners off as the higher the lead content in the metal, the faster the scanner detector will trigger. Most scanners will not trigger (or have a higher threshold) if they sense metals such as Titanium as that is used so often for prosthesis. Scanners are measuring the total area of metal, so a tin foil pack is huge compared to a small earring. However scanners are all set at different thresholds also depending on where you are.

My guess is her ring was a cheap one, as a good quality ring would have little or not lead content and the metal would not corrode over time like hers did making it hard to remove.

{"commentId":1629432,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

2 votes

#10.7 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:59 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629594,"authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}

Adam Hobson

The scanners don't actually detect metal so much as a change in the electromagnetic field. Different metals, as well as different shapes the metal is in will affect the electromagnetic field differently.

That's why I always find it a joke when they ask you to empty your pockets of change, the nickel that is in your change barely creates an electromagnetic field and you'd need a few socks full of quarters to even register on the metal detector.

Also, if you go slow enough through the metal detector, you can bring anything in since what it detects is the change in the electromagnetic field and if you are slow then the field is never changing all that much. However, for any decent sized metal object you'd need to move so slow that you'd be bound to raise suspicion.

{"commentId":1629594,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}

1 vote

#10.8 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:36 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629639,"authorDomain":"Griff69"}

Griff69

I usually fly with a Security Edition Bill of Rights in my wallet. I've had two confiscated, but most of the time they don't notice or ask.

{"commentId":1629639,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Griff69"}

3 votes

#10.9 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:48 AM EDT

{"commentId":1630620,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

Could it be a difference in type or meld of metals, Brian?

That's possible, mine's not stainless steel which is the most common. However, this question is in FAQs at all the tattoo/body modification sites, and the standard response it "it is very rare".

{"commentId":1630620,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

#10.10 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:27 PM EDT

{"commentId":1630691,"authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

SteveHouse

I usually fly with a Security Edition Bill of Rights in my wallet. I've had two confiscated, but most of the time they don't notice or ask.

O.o I gotta get me one of those!

Actually, on second thought, I'd rather devise my own. $4?

{"commentId":1630691,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

#10.11 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:45 PM EDT

{"commentId":1650205,"authorDomain":"swornfuk"}

swornfuk

Could it be a difference in type or meld of metals, Brian?

I know mine are stainless steel.

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#10.12 - Thu Apr 3, 2008 1:55 AM EDT

{"commentId":1628671,"authorDomain":"ytmnd"}

ytmnd

First they came for the nipple piercings...

{"commentId":1628671,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"ytmnd"}

4 votes

#11 - Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:28 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628845,"authorDomain":"boohoo"}

Boo Hoo

Ah she enjoyed it.. i mean, she was kinky enough to have nipple rings!

What an idiot, of course you're gonna get beeped through a scanner if you have metal on you.

{"commentId":1628845,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"boohoo"}

#12 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:45 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629364,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

My ring hasn't set off any metal detector I've gone through in the past 15 years. Don't talk out your ass about something you know nothing about.

{"commentId":1629364,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

3 votes

#12.1 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:30 AM EDT

{"commentId":1641465,"authorDomain":"boohoo"}

Boo Hoo

Still is an idiot. :)

{"commentId":1641465,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"boohoo"}

#12.2 - Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:06 PM EDT

{"commentId":1628858,"authorDomain":"barry-rutherford"}

Barry Rutherford

Ah yes some one send for Gloria !

{"commentId":1628858,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"barry-rutherford"}

#13 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:51 AM EDT

{"commentId":1628870,"authorDomain":"DanLS"}

Dan LS

That's what happens when you put the dumbest humans on the planet in positions of minor authority. Instead of, I dunno, trying to find bombs or drugs, those TSA fools spent the government's time and our tax dollars making a woman take out her nipple rings with a pair of pliers.

Proud moment for the TSA.

{"commentId":1628870,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"DanLS"}

5 votes

#14 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:58 AM EDT

{"commentId":1628905,"authorDomain":"gwenny"}

Gwenny

Wow, this was a great thread for weeding effing jerks. Thanks.

{"commentId":1628905,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"gwenny"}

6 votes

#15 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:21 AM EDT

{"commentId":1628977,"authorDomain":"charles4000"}

analog ninja

this will end up as a constitutional case...

{"commentId":1628977,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"charles4000"}

2 votes

#16 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:16 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629589,"authorDomain":"geejay"}

TheJonesGirl

Which will be worth it, just to hear the SCOTUS judges saying "nipple ring."

{"commentId":1629589,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"geejay"}

2 votes

#16.1 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:35 AM EDT

{"commentId":1630699,"authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

SteveHouse

They won't. Nipple is one of the words that makes them cry. They'll call it an aereola (however you spell that) piercing, or a sensitive-area piercing, or something equally stuffy and boring.

{"commentId":1630699,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"stevehouse"}

1 vote

#16.2 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:47 PM EDT

{"commentId":1632103,"authorDomain":"theredscare"}

The Red Scare

I'm not sure I've ever seen an areola piercing.

{"commentId":1632103,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"theredscare"}

1 vote

#16.3 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:23 PM EDT

{"commentId":1636505,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

The vast majority of male nipple rings are through the aureole, not through the nipple. Largely because males don't have big enough nipples for anything but a really thin gauge ring. A good number of female nipple rings are through the aureole as well. From the size of the straight barbells in the picture, I'd say there's a 95% chance they are actually through the aureole.

{"commentId":1636505,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

#16.4 - Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:39 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629132,"authorDomain":"sushicat"}

sushicat

I hope she sues the Tx Lubock airport!

{"commentId":1629132,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"sushicat"}

1 vote

#17 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 5:47 AM EDT

{"commentId":1629587,"authorDomain":"Griff69"}

Griff69

"The conduct of TSA was cruel and unnecessary," Allred wrote.

Sadly, I'm guessing the author meant "in this case" rather than always. Both are accurate.

{"commentId":1629587,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"Griff69"}

2 votes

#18 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:35 AM EDT

{"commentId":1631279,"authorDomain":"darkknightjrk"}

Jared Kardos

That's just f**ked up. Another great example of demented people getting their jollies by misusing whatever small amount of authority they gain.

{"commentId":1631279,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"darkknightjrk"}

5 votes

#19 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:43 PM EDT

{"commentId":1632660,"authorDomain":"lilorphant"}

lilorphant

The constant changes in policy, arbitrary implementation, wonder if this makes us safer? I doubt it. I would think as soon as they figure out someone is not a terrorist, then move on, but sadly no. Talk about taking eyes off the ball.

{"commentId":1632660,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"lilorphant"}

1 vote

#20 - Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:28 AM EDT

{"commentId":1633069,"authorDomain":"DollyLlama"}

DollyLlama

If, we the people, don't voice the outrage of this policy, we can welcome this kind of action permanently into our society. Our present policy makers enjoy the control.

{"commentId":1633069,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"DollyLlama"}

1 vote

#21 - Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:53 AM EDT

{"commentId":1636509,"authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

Brian White

Which policy are you talking about? The article makes it clear this is not standard TSA policy.

{"commentId":1636509,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"wbrianwhite"}

#21.1 - Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:39 AM EDT

{"commentId":6566457,"authorDomain":"ghall1950"}

G. H.

Hey, come on you guys! Don't you understand what she had was a WWII grenade in each cup of her bra? You know the ones with the ring? Slight mistake on their part I would say! LOL 0:-)

{"commentId":6566457,"threadId":"241223","contentId":"1394768","authorDomain":"ghall1950"}

2 votes

#22 - Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:34 PM EDT

{"commentId":10405344,"authorDomain":"breelaboy"}

breelaboyDeleted

{"commentId":10431260,"authorDomain":"brianalampton"}

brianalamptonDeleted

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"241223","isPrivate":false}

TSA Responds to Nipple Ring Complaint	Associated Press	Sat Mar 29	12
Nipple Rings Were Removed With Pliers Before Boardng Plane	ABC News	Sun Mar 30	39
Passenger forced to remove nipple rings	Toronto Star	Fri Mar 28	1
Nipple rings cause security issue at airport - News- msnbc.com	msnbc.com	Thu Mar 27	0
Nipple rings fall foul of airport check	Reuters	Sat Mar 29	2

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Woman Says TSA Forced Piercings Removal

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