If you’ve got kids and Netflix, you may be familiar with Emily Calandrelli, the bubbly host of “Emily’s Wonder Lab.” Calandrelli is also a mom herself. A mom of a ten-week-old little boy.
Traveling is stressful already. Taking a trip without your little one can be even more emotionally and mentally taxing. Throw in TSA insanity on top of all that? You’ve got yourself a disaster.
Calandrelli recently left her young son for the first time and was put through the wringer by TSA employees at LAX.
Yesterday I took down my posts about how @TSA treated me at @flyLAXairport. I was embarrassed at how emotional I was. I was anxious about the confrontation. So I deleted it.
But they make too many mothers feel this way, so I’m going to talk about it bc this needs to stop 🧵 pic.twitter.com/MIZchi8M6k
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
Calandrelli detailed her horrific experience with LAX’s TSA in a heartbreaking and infuriating thread:
Here’s what happened. Yesterday was my 1st trip away from my 10wk old son, who I’m currently breastfeeding. I’m going through security at LAX. I brought my pump and 2 ice packs – only 1 of which was cold (I won’t need the other until I come home, when I’ll have more milk).
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
I didn’t currently have any milk but I was planning to get a last second pumping sesh in before my ~5 hour flight.
Two male TSA agents told me I couldn’t bring my ice packs through bc they weren’t frozen solid. (This is the key part of the story)
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
I asked to speak to someone else & they had their boss come over & he told me the same.
He said “if you had milk on you, this wouldn’t be a problem.”
He asked (*multiple times*) “well WHERE is the baby.” He said if my child was with me, it wouldn’t be an issue.
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
If you’re like us and seeing red right now, just imagine how Calandrelli must have been feeling when she heard that.
I asked multiple times to speak to a female agent and they wouldn’t allow it. They escorted me out of line and forced me to check my cold packs, meaning I couldn’t pump before my flight for fear it would spoil.
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
Every ounce of spoiled breastmilk is one fewer ounce of nourishment for Emily’s son.
And TSA’s whole argument against Calandrelli was based on a lie!
But guess what? They were wrong. TSA rules specifically state that you are allowed to have gel ice packs (regardless if they are fully frozen!!) for medically necessary purposes. And emptying my breasts on a regular schedule and providing food for my child IS medically necessary. pic.twitter.com/24Q44YzxOf
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
So TSA put Calandrelli (and her son) through this for nothing.
Apparently that sort of thing happens on the regular:
And something else happened – Moms flooded my DMs with their own horrible TSA experiences. It is infuriatingly common to encounter @TSA agents who don’t know their OWN rules around bringing breast milk / formula pumping equipment on planes.
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
This is legitimately outrageous.
Yesterday I was humiliated that I had to explain to 3 grown men that my breasts still produce milk when I’m not with my child. Yesterday I was embarrassed telling them about my fear of mastitis if I didn’t pump. Today I’m furious. @TSA
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
And to make things worse, as I was escorted out, the @TSA Agent says “and don’t try to sneak it back through a second time, we’ll just make you toss it out” – like I was a petulant child, trying to sneak a toy through security (rather than a mom trying to feed her kid.)
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
There’s so much pressure to breastfeed, but @TSA makes it impossible.
It’s yet another system in place that makes it harder for women to get back to work after they’ve started a family.
The lack of training at @TSA is unfairly punishing and harming women.
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022
Absolutely shameful.
I’ve had same experience. Dumped my breast milk cos it wasn’t frozen. Had the slowest TSA agent ever who deliberately did everything slowly to make us wait. Also I’m not even gonna start with having my DREADLOCKS SEARCHED with their hands prior to travel.
— Kelley Hollie, LMSW (@mrshollie2015) May 10, 2022
TSA agents in Phoenix insisted on either feeling up my 11 year old niece or subjecting her to naked X-ray because she was wearing skirt. And could only bring Capri suns on plane that were in carryon if elderly mom already through security agreed to be felt up. https://t.co/UyReJuAUbO
— objkshn (@objkshn) May 11, 2022
At the start of her thread, Calandrelli said “this needs to stop.”
Well, we couldn’t agree more. And if you want to kill the snake, you cut off the head:
End the TSA. https://t.co/SwMbrVAA8K
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) May 11, 2022
Here’s what happened. Yesterday was my 1st trip away from my 10wk old son, who I’m currently breastfeeding. I’m going through security at LAX. I brought my pump and 2 ice packs – only 1 of which was cold (I won’t need the other until I come home, when I’ll have more milk).
— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022