There’s no doubt the TSA pat-downs are controversial. Detractors claim the touching is a violation of privacy and can, in some cases, border on sexual assault, while proponents say the pat downs are necessary to keep travelers safe(r).

While I am all for the searches – and/or the body scans – this story out of Europe is a bit much. A female passenger is accusing the TSA agents of assaulting her after she was ordered to be patted down because her reusable sanitary napkin showed up on the body scanner.

The woman – an Army vet – was, as one may expect, “humiliated” by her experience. She was further upset by the fact that the pat down brought back memories of a sexual assault.

She e-mailed GladRags, the makers of her flannel feminine product, to share her story and talked about how the TSA agent lingered in her groin area while fellow passengers, and a TSA agent-in-training looked on.

In the end, it seems the woman made it through security and was able to board the plane, but there is no guarantee this won’t happen again to other women. According to the story, sanitary supplies can be picked up by scanners and do register as unusual.