Nonbinary Airline Passengers Speak Out: What's Gender Got to Do With It?
Just because a person can identify as something other than male or female doesn’t mean they should be forced to use public facilities (like restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms) that don’t match their gender identity. In fact, those who are nonbinary and want to use the restrooms that align with their gender identity face even more discrimination than those who identify as transgender, simply because our society isn’t as educated about nonbinary identities yet. Here are some of the reasons nonbinary passengers ask for gender-neutral restrooms on airplanes.
Introduction
As you sit on a plane ready for takeoff, an air hostess makes a brief announcement. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, she says cheerfully, we would like to welcome you on board Flight 123 with our nonbinary cabin crew today. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to contact one of our attendants.
Sex, gender and body parts
There’s a growing number of people who don’t identify as either male or female—they feel somewhere in between, or totally outside of, these identities. These people might go by gender-neutral pronouns like they or ze. They might describe themselves as agender, genderqueer, non-binary and more. But their safety when flying can be an issue—for example, they may feel uncomfortable using certain bathrooms while traveling by air.
Medical challenges nonbinary passengers face
Non-binary people, a term that applies to a wide range of identities that don’t fit neatly into either male or female, are increasingly being recognized by doctors and psychiatrists across America. However, it is extremely difficult for non-binary people to travel via air or ground. The current male and female system places non-male/non-female travelers in awkward situations when it comes time for airline check-in procedures.
Airport security checks
Non-binary individuals who have already been through airport security don’t have their identity questioned. They still undergo a physical pat-down by TSA agents; they are, however, allowed to choose whether a male or female agent does so. In addition, non-binary passengers can request assistance from an agent of any gender when taking off their shoes and removing other items from their pockets before going through body scanners.
Airplane seats
The first thing you might think when you hear about a nonbinary airline passenger is, what’s with all of these damn seat assignments? Don’t we have enough to worry about with long lines, overpriced concessions and toilets that lack privacy and seat belts? But for many trans or gender-nonconforming people, an airplane seat is a source of fear.
Bathrooms at the airport
If a person is gender nonconforming, it may not be easy for them to figure out which bathroom to use at an airport. According to one National Center for Transgender Equality survey, about 25 percent of respondents were denied access, verbally harassed, or physically assaulted in public restrooms just because they didn’t look like what someone thought they should.
Bathrooms on board the airplane
These days, there’s an entire array of terms and labels for gender identities. While we are increasingly moving toward a more open world in terms of gender expression, air travel still lags behind in that it still largely views passengers as either male or female. This doesn’t just affect people who don’t fit into binaries but also those who do identify as other genders than their birth one.