District residents encountering situations in which they’re required to present photo identification are having a rough week.
Not long after New Hampshire was forced to remind its alcoholic beverage vendors that driver’s licenses issued by the DC Department of Motor Vehicles are just as valid as those issued by any state came another story about a District resident being held up because someone did not accept his license as being issued by a US jurisdiction.
Justin Gray, a Washington correspondent for the Cox Media Group, was trying to get through airport security in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday when a Transportation Security Administration screener asked for his license. Gray presented his ID and was blocked from going on to the gate. As Gray explained on Twitter, the agent claimed to have “never heard of the ‘District of Columbia’” and demanded a passport.
Gray was eventually allowed to board after talking to a TSA supervisor. Yesterday, after Gray’s story started garnering attention, TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein reminded people of the District’s status:
This weeks geography @Jeopardy champion is @grayjustin. Yes, a crazy town, but Washington D.C. IS located in the United States. #PointGray
Still, Gray is far from the only DC resident who’s encountered TSA employees who need to bone up on civics. The agency was forced to make the same capitulation in February when a District resident was briefly stopped from boarding a plane in Arizona (also sometimes known as the Florida of the West).
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
TSA Agent Rejects DC License Because He’s Never Heard of the “District of Columbia”
Further misadventures for folks in possession of a District ID.
District residents encountering situations in which they’re required to present photo identification are having a rough week.
Not long after New Hampshire was forced to remind its alcoholic beverage vendors that driver’s licenses issued by the DC Department of Motor Vehicles are just as valid as those issued by any state came another story about a District resident being held up because someone did not accept his license as being issued by a US jurisdiction.
Justin Gray, a Washington correspondent for the Cox Media Group, was trying to get through airport security in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday when a Transportation Security Administration screener asked for his license. Gray presented his ID and was blocked from going on to the gate. As Gray explained on Twitter, the agent claimed to have “never heard of the ‘District of Columbia’” and demanded a passport.
Gray was eventually allowed to board after talking to a TSA supervisor. Yesterday, after Gray’s story started garnering attention, TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein reminded people of the District’s status:
Still, Gray is far from the only DC resident who’s encountered TSA employees who need to bone up on civics. The agency was forced to make the same capitulation in February when a District resident was briefly stopped from boarding a plane in Arizona (also sometimes known as the Florida of the West).
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
What to Know About the Dupont Circle “Deckover” Project
Bans on Underage Vaping, Swastika Graffiti, Synthetic Dyes: New Virginia Laws Go Into Effect in July
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
How DC’s Attorney General Got So Good at Double Dutch
DC Council Ponders New Way to Expel Trayon White, the GOP’s Budget Bill Advances, and We Found You Some Tacos With Ethiopian Flair
For DNC Chair Ken Martin, the Big Beautiful Bill Is Personal
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
We’re Still Litigating “Obliterated,” Apparently; Man Deported After Kicking Dog at Dulles; and “Big Balls” Is Back on the Job
Did Busy Pizza Shops Really Predict US Airstrikes on Iran?
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain