No NicaLynn it is NOT sexual harrassment.

Though I think it foolish to try and wear the piercings through the detectors, I think her offer to show them to the female TSA officer should have been accepted. It would show they are not weapons. Solve the problem and move on. THe problem is that sometimes it does get to be a power issue like what seems to have occured here, where rather than accept a reasonable solution, they demand she take them out and cause her pain.

I never understand why people try to wear even a lot of regular jewelry when flying. Save the grief, take off all the jewelry, put it in your carryon and put it on later. Common sense.

Its seems like everyone here seems their own personal opinions on body piercing & aren't really sympathetic to what this woman went through.

I fly alot ,& the issue here is the lack of respect & dignity they extended to the woman about her jewlery. I dont have body piercings, but I do have enough respect for someone that does to treat them like a human being.. How would any of you like it if one of these people put a rubber glove on in the middle of the airport, made you drop your pants down, & shove their fingers up your a** because they have a random feeling about you being a threat? I'm sure you wouldnt like it... There was a more civilzed way to deal with this.. The whole airport security system needs to be revamped because it's really a joke. Making people throw away bottled water that they are DRINKING (what explosive liquid can be ingested?), forcing people to throw away hand sanitizer because it's a 1/2 oz over the limit, etc.

Winstrv,......So using that same logic......a person with an artificial hip should also be subject to removal of the metal part with pliers......or not be allowed on the plane......right?

How about someone with a pacemaker?

How about TSA not hiring morons with no common sense (or idots that enjoy forcing the flying public jump through hoops for their own amusement)......now THERE'S an idea.

Yeah, TSA should apologize...as in "We're sorry you are such a BIG CRYBABY who can't follow the rules like everyone else." I especially like the part about how she had "undergone an enormous amount of physical pain to have the nipple rings reinserted"...like she HAD to do that?! She had choices. 1.) She CHOSE to have the piercings. 2.) She CHOSE to take them out in order to board the flight (she could have refused and took a train). And 3.) she CHOSE to have them reinserted.

Why are any of her CHOICES TSA's fault? The title of this story should have been "TSA Enforces Security Policy, Passenger Not Happy".

Sounds to me to be a case of stupidity. The idiot with the piercings should have known she would set off the alarm. Should have removed them before she got there. Another case of me, me, me!!!

What is "ridiculous" (correctly spelled without an "e") is that people who like the gratuitous self-mutilation of piercings should think they are exempt from the law.

I took a flight to Michigan and back over Thanksgiving. I had a simialr issue with my piercings, but upon telling them pretty much up front that I had both nipples pierced, the issue was dismissed, and I was allowed to get on all of my flights. I think it is rediculous that they would put someone through what they did to her. It sounds to me like it was not based upon TSA guidelines, but based upon the male agents boredom. They have a right to make sure our flights are secure...not to make us uncomfortable before we even get on the plane. Piercings are not effectively used as weapons...especially not the hoops used for nipple piercings. They are very difficult to remove without a specific kind of pliers (slip ring pliers) which I doubt they actually had on hand. It sounds to me like this is a clear cut case of sexual harrassment on the part of the male TSA agents.