Diana Ross Says She Was 'Violated' During a TSA Patdown

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Diana Ross Says She Was 'Violated' During a TSA Patdown
Image: (AP)

Diana Ross claims she was aggressively patted down by the TSA after performing at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, leaving her feeling violated.

On Twitter, Ross said though she was “treated like royalty in New Orleans,” at the airport, she was “treated like shit.” Apparently, even legends can’t escape TSA patdowns, which are notoriously invasive and sometimes cruel, with black women historically being subject to hair searches and reports of passengers sometimes being forced to remove their prosthetics in full public view.

Ross says it was not the patdown that left her near tears, but the way it was performed, tweeting, “Its not what was done but how, I am feeling violated – I still feel her hands between my legs, front and back ( saying to me it her job ,) WOW!!really mixed emotions I always like to see the good things but not feeling good right now.”

The TSA says it has reviewed CCTV footage and insists the agent did nothing wrong, according to a statement obtained by People:

“TSA is aware of concerns presented by Diana Ross about her screening experience at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport this morning,” the statement read.
Initial review of CCTV indicates that the officers involved with Ms. Ross’s screening correctly followed all protocols, however, TSA leadership will continue to investigate the matter further. We encourage Ms. Ross to reach out to TSA so we can work with her directly to address her concerns.”

This statement is a TSA classic, as there seem to be just two official TSA responses to any accusations of being unnecessarily invasive: “We didn’t do that” or “We’re totally allowed to do that.”

 
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