A Canadian Trans woman humiliated by US customs officials

February 08, 2012

A Canadian Trans woman was humiliated in the United States after customs officials questioned her gender identity.

The woman is Jennifer McCreath and her story was told by Christin Milloy, who exposed Canada’s no-fly rule for trans persons.

After having gender reassignment surgery in January 2011, McCreath was told she would receive a new birth certificate in 10 days with a changed gender from the Nova Scotia government. Seven weeks had passed and the document hadn’t arrived, forcing McCreath to travel with a passport marked with “M” as her gender.

At Toronto’s Pearson international airport, McCreath underwent ‘Secondary Screening’ by a US custom’s official and was photographed and fingerprinted, although Canadian officials hadn’t given her a hard time.
Ninety minutes passed while McCreath remained in isolation, a move she believes was intended for her to miss her flight.

Afterward, McCreath said “They started asking me all sorts of bizarre personal questions about my sexuality.”

The questions didn’t stop there. The officials asked questions about her surgery and medication and even her dilator – an intimate device they found in her luggage.

Despite carrying with her a note from her doctor which “describes (the medical device) as urgent for me to have on my person, and can’t afford to lose them in luggage and to please let me carry them on board.”

McCreath was able to pass through but had to pay an additional $80 to change her flights.

McCreath believes that the US customs officials justified their actions based on Canada’s no-fly regulations for trans people.