We have an exclusive interview with Shadi Petosky, who experienced a hellacious nightmare with the TSA in Orlando last week. You might not know that Shadi is the Puny Entertainment president, show runner, cartoon creator (Yo Gabba Gabba!), writer, comedian, and all around boss ass bitch. She’s also a dear friend of mine from Minneapolis. I texted her after her ordeal when she was detained by American Airlines TSA. Here’s our interview:
JT: Firstly, I’m outraged. Seeing your picture on the WOW Report this morning, I got SO excited because I was like, “OMG! It’s Shadi! My old boss! My friend!” I was hoping it was about one of your shows, but then I clicked the thumbnail and I saw tears.
I am SO saddened, infuriated and sorry what happened to you. Everyone wants to know, where are you currently? Did you make it back to Minnesota?
SP: I’m on a long layover in Miami. I just ate some amazing food and saw a lot of beautiful men and went to the hotel where they shot The Birdcage but the TSA has covered it in scaffolding OR it’s under construction. I’m in the water now, trying to relax a little. I didn’t sleep much last night.
JT: What was going through your mind when you were detained/called that?
SP: Not me. Not this. I’ve been through those body scanners a million times. They see my junk. I have to disclose.
JT: On the topic of perception. When that TSA officer spoke about how you “looked like a girl to him.” I like how you reversed the question and asked, “What if I didn’t?” Which can be a real threat to trans people. How can we have Transparent scooping up Emmy’s, but this still happen?
SP: I didn’t say that to him. It was more of a Twitter point. I think I said something like, “that doesn’t matter, one person’s subjectivity.” We can have Transparent scooping up an Emmy and this still happening because straight cis men play trans women and straight cis women play trans men and tons of people think trans people are dressing up and playing pretend. Hollywood had defamed trans people, especially trans women, for decades. It’ll take a long time to undo that harm.
But the TSA stuff doesn’t just affect trans people. The TSA is basically enforcing gender stereotypes. They look at you, guess, and push a pink or blue button.
Jill Soloway really got it right in her awesome acceptance speech. “We don’t have a tipping point yet, we have a Trans civil rights problem.”
JT: I love/know how you said it’s not a class issue –personally — but I think it’s important that you posted the cost (practically a thousand dollars) for your flight change. I feel like TSA should reimburse you for making you miss your flight, emotional distress, hotel accommodations, etc.
SP: Everything is a class issue, I just currently have privileges there. I think cost is important. Most trans people don’t have rebooking fees at their disposal or swinging a day off work or a hotel.
Besides their bullshit statement about “training protocol,” have they apologized/accomaded you either personally or pubically in any way?
SP: No. It’s all press statements basically calling me a liar in as few words possible. They’re not doing interviews. One of the managers at the airport apologized for the trainee telling me he should have processed me as a man then. They need to just get rid of those buttons. There were definitely cool people in the situation, people who maybe wanted to help but didn’t have seniority.
JT: Speaking of social media and the public eye, it made me emotional when you talked about your phone. How it was kind of your outlet to record what was happening to you. Why was TSA and American Airlines saying one thing online and but not doing in real life? Surely, they were just following protocol, right?
SP: I don’t think it’s that weird from the TSA, but it’s SO weird from American Airlines. They could be so nice.
JT: We need to talk about “anomaly.” WTF!!! The language the TSA security used to describe you — “an anomaly” — is SO offensive. I didn’t know what anomaly meant until I read your story.
SP: It’s bad to look up that word in this context. Deviates from Normal. Definitely not a body part word.
JT: Surely a show runner like you flies often — why is the TSA so inconsistent when it comes to trans people traveling?
SP: I’m not a showrunner, more like a perpetual pilot runner. :) Everywhere is inconsistent. When I was at the DMV last time they asked if I had implants. Nearly all of my trans friends are saying this has happened to them. Many even live tweeted but didn’t have influencers RT that day.
JT: As horrifying of an experience this was…you kept your sense of humor (I loved the “single” tweet and the Kyle Chandler tweet). Where do you get your sense of humor in terrifying circumstances like this?
SP: 4th grade playgrounds. You know. We all know. Our people are funny or hidden or dead. Most LGBT people I know are pretty funny. I had to hold back a lot.
I’m kind of embarrassed too. I mean Laverne Cox is telling Katie Couric to not make it about out junk, yay — we don’t have to make it about our genitals. Then I’m in the middle of this thing making it all about my genitals. I restrained from like 400 dick jokes and tried to just document.
JT:I know you were just trying to get a flight home — (Shadi went to Florida with her mom to celebrate her birthday) — and I know you wouldn’t want to be called a Joan of Arc for this issue — but I am hoping that your story ignites a fire. That this one act of microagression by a TSA security officers’ perception of your sex/gender is not only dangerous but illegal.
Because of you, the hashtag #travelingwhiletrans has started which I think is really great and will bring light to this real-life experience for other trans people.What do you hope to see for the future for trans people traveling?
SP: I’d like to see the TSA work with trans orgs to come up with safety procedures for al bodies. That’s the big one, because it’s enforced with force. There are a ton of systemic issues that society needs to work on to better integrate people who’ve been marginalized. Traveling anywhere at any time is for straight, white, cis men. We also need federal laws around documentation and facilities access. It’s weird that people have to know their rights location by location.
JT: Well, thank you SO much for your time, honesty, and bravery, Shadi. Everyone at World of Wonder supports you and sends our love!
Follow Shadi on her twitter: @ShadiPetosky.
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