Arts & Entertainment
‘Queer Eye’ star Tan France accuses TSA of racial profiling him
The fashion expert called out the administration for its extra security checks

Tan France (Screenshot via YouTube)
“Queer Eye” star Tan France blasted TSA for having him “put through extra security checks 3 times this week” even though he says he has TSA pre-check.
France, who is Pakistani, posted on Twitter that a TSA agent informed him that he kept getting extra security checks because his name “is on a list.”
“I’ve been put through extra security checks 3 times this week, and was just told by a TSA agent it’s because my name is on a list,” he tweeted. “WTF? I’m brown but that does NOT mean I’m a damn security risk!!!” He added: “Because I know the answer. I know why I’m being profiled.”
@TSA I’ve been put through extra security checks 3 times this week, and was just told by a TSA agent it’s because my name is on a list. WTF? I’m brown but that does NOT mean I’m a damn security risk!!!
— Tan France (@tanfrance) December 12, 2018
TSA responded to France’s comment on Twitter posting “We’re sorry to hear this. DHS TRIP can provide resolution to travelers with difficulties getting through security and inspection at airport checkpoints.”
We’re sorry to hear this. DHS TRIP can provide resolution to travelers with difficulties getting through security and inspection at airport checkpoints. To learn more, please visit: https://t.co/nRPMSw7Xr6
— AskTSA (@AskTSA) December 12, 2018
According to the Daily Mail, France continued the discussion on his Instagram Story.
“I’ve just gone through security at the airport, it took me over two hours. And this is now the third time this week,” France posted. “What happens is when you’re checking in, they tell you that you can’t use your pre-check because there’s a security issue. At that point they take you out of line, and then they search you, and they give you a pat down—which is humiliating—where they check everything. And then they go through all your bags – and they take a good 45 minutes to go through your bag.
“So the reason why I wanted to post this is so I can tag TSA and hopefully they’ll see this at some point and figure out why the f**k they’re treating me like this. Because I know the answer. I know why I’m being profiled,” he continued.
TSA issued a statement to E! News about the situation saying: “All airline passengers, regardless of race, gender, or religion, are thoroughly screened at airport screening checkpoints. TSA cannot comment on the security designation for specific individuals, and there are a number of reasons a passenger can be selected for additional screening, including by random designation.”
The 2026 World Pride March was held on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Amsterdam. Tens of thousands of participants marched from Martin Luther Kingpark to the grounds of the Pride Village at Museumplein.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)








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The weekly drag show “Daddy Issues” was held at Kiki on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Performers included Evry Pleasure, Indiana Bones and Tiara Missou-Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)









Books
Something’s off about Dad. When is it time to step in?
‘When Memory Fades’ can help when families face dementia
‘When Memory Fades’
By Nathaniel Chin, MD
c.2026, St. Martin’s Essentials
$30/422 pages
Mom called you in a panic the other day.
She’d lost her keys and by the time you arrived to help, she’d found them. In the refrigerator.
These kinds of things keep happening, not often but often enough, and you don’t know quite what to worry about. But in the new book “When Memory Fades” by Nathaniel Chin, MD, you’ll learn about the journey ahead, for both of you.
You can’t remember why you walked into a room. You got lost last week, going to the bank. Popular wisdom says that things like that are normal as we age, but Chin says that’s not true – although the answer may not be a worst-case scenario, either. Yes, memory problems could just be signs of stress, dehydration, or lack of sleep – or is it time to see a doctor?
Chin says maybe, yes.
He was working his way through medical residency when his father, a geriatrician in Madison, Wisc., was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Chin, now a geriatrician, was blindsided, but that diagnosis also changed his life.
Here, he writes about the brain, and how Alzheimer’s and dementia are diagnosed, explaining that dementia has many faces and, depending on a doctor’s evaluation, memory problems might be slowed or improved. He shares his father’s illness with readers, but he also writes about his mother, a steadfast, steady caretaker.
Her story reminds reader-guardians to care for themselves, too.
Know how to talk the talk, so that you can have “a more productive” conversation with your doctor. Understand that there’s nothing “normal” about dementia or Alzheimer’s. Know the statistics – African Americans are affected with dementia twice as much as whites – and know how to lower your risks. Learn here what questions to ask, how to break the news to everyone, and any legal matters that will be important soon. And know how to tend to you.
Says Chin, “The best action you can take is to educate yourself… The more you understand, the better equipped you are to make sound judgments.”
Something’s off about Dad, just a lot of little things that don’t add up. When is it time to step in? “When Memory Fades” can help you decide.
Wise, wide-spread, comprehensive, and compassionately helpful, this is a book you can read and then take it to the doctor with your loved one. It’s a book that makes sense when nothing else does, and its biggest feature is that it smoothly transitions from easy-to-grasp science and charts, to gentle coaching for caregivers. Author Nathaniel Chin, MD writes with storytelling, humility, grace, and experience from both sides of the Alzheimer’s/dementia issue, and his words are reassuring but also urgent. Learn, but don’t wait, he says. Know how to safeguard yourself. See your doctor, and don’t fear testing. Watch for signs of depression. And never, ever stop asking for help.
Read those last seven words, and find “When Memory Fades” now. It’s a book to have on your shelf, whether you’re 45 or 95 because, as you’ll see, dementia happens and knowledge is key.
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