‘A+ troll’: People are falling for ‘Genital Verification’ bathroom signs at DFW airport—and the call line makes It even better

Trolling bathroom signs spotted at the DFW airport warn users of an “Electronic Genital Verification” program by the Lieutenant Governor. The notice states that anyone who uses the restrooms at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport may have their genitals photographed to screen for “potentially improper restroom access” in an apparent reference to anti-trans bathroom bans.

It goes on to direct airport patrons to contact the “EGV program office” with a phone number which matches that of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s office line.

‘Your genitalia may be photographed’

On Feb. 9, Reddit user Stickybubs posted a photo on the Texas sub showing a sign stamped with the DFW logo and the seals of the Texas Lieutenant Governor and the Department of Public Safety. Labeled “Security Notice,” it warns of a “pilot program” for photographing people’s crotches in the bathrooms.

“Your genitalia may be photographed electronically during your use of this facility as part of the Electronic Genital Verification (EGV) pilot program at the direction of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor,” the sign reads.

“In the future, EGV will help keep Texas safe while protecting your privacy by screening for potentially improper restroom access using machine vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in lieu of traditional genital inspections.”

It goes on to claim that, for the time being, the genital photos will only be used for AI model training and not “used for law enforcement or shared with other entities” unless compelled by a court of law. The notice then directs those who want to opt out to call the given phone number to request the removal of the bathroom user’s “data.”

According to the OP, the troll posted these signs inside the DFW bathroom stalls.

‘Be a shame if his office got flooded with calls’

Many commenters approved of the trolling effort after they quickly identified that the signs were definitely fake and an attempt to make a point about anti-trans bathroom laws. Legislation forcing people to use public restrooms aligned with their assigned gender at birth often purports to protect privacy, and opponents routinely point out that genital inspects contradict this claim.

“Kudos to whoever came up with this idea, A+ troll,” wrote Reddit user ItsAlwaysTerminal.

People are particularly delighted at the fact that the signs target Dan Patrick, who has been fighting against transgender public access rights since at least 2016. The general affinity for privacy and anti-government sentiment common among Texans could make this gag particularly effective.

“Hopefully he gets all sorts of calls about ‘getting genital verification out of bathrooms, what I got in my pants is none of the airports damn business,’” said passive_post.

“Be a shame if his office got flooded with calls from people demanding he deletes his d*ck pic files,” wrote Texas DD, sarcastically. “A real shame.”

The image later spread to r/PoliticalHumor, where users were equally amused and impressed.

“The level of detail taken here to make this sound/appear like a legit government notice is top f*cking notch,” said Jorge_Santos69.

Electronic Genital Verification troll fools Texans

Although many Redditors recognized the sign as an obvious troll, it tricked enough people to compel fact-checking outlets to report that the notice is indeed fake.

“This is not a DFW-produced or authorized sign, and we have no information about its origins,” DFW media relations manager Cynthia Vega told Snopes. “However, we are investigating to ensure that none is posted, and we will remove any unauthorized signs if found.”

The fact-checkers aren’t getting through to people, however, judging by the number of social media users who raged at DFW and Patrick for allowing the EGV program to record their privates.

“This so-called ‘Electronic Genital Verification’ (EGV) is an outrageous violation of privacy & human dignity, disguised as a security measure,” wrote X user @Humanbydesign3. “The idea of forcing travelers 2 have their genitals photographed & scanned by AI under the guise of ‘protecting Texans’ is dystopian deeply invasive.”

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A post shared by Michael Dear (@mdear2010)

Instagram user @mdear2010 posted a video reporting on the signs as though they might be real, resulting in many outraged comments among others who recognized it as a prank.

“Republicans are obsessed with genitals but lack the capability to lower prices and create unity,” @cherlyn12211980 wrote. “Either way, tax payers paid for this.”

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