This week, the Canadian press erupted with a storm of stories about Jessica Yaniv. A transgender woman, Yaniv is suing fifteen female aestheticians – waxing services operators – for their refusal to wax her male genitalia.
Their refusal to give Yaniv a Brazilian bikini wax was enough for her to accuse them of “transphobia,” and file complaints against the lot of them at the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal.
Should the tribunal side with Yaniv, it will be, arguably, the first case of state-enforced sexual assault.
A transgender woman, Yaniv is suing fifteen female aestheticians – waxing services operators – for their refusal to wax her male genitalia.
Empowered by the government of Canada, the tribunal is reviewing a number of cases against the female-only aestheticians and forcing some of them out of business; and second for issuing a publication ban that prevented much of the Canadian press from reporting on the story in earnest.
Public personalities, including journalist Meghan Murphy and free speech advocate Lindsay Shephard, risked violating Canada’s censorship laws by speaking publicly about the case. And until the publication ban was listed, the media could only refer to the case offering only the scantest of details. Only citizen journalists at The Post Millennial were able to bring to light details of the case prior to the lifting of the ban. It’s now being discussed in the National Post and the Toronto Sun.
Lindsay Shepherd has been banned on Twitter for “abusing” Yaniv, who often attempts to silence those who disagree with her by taking full advantage of Twitter’s lopsided moderation policies.
Meghan Murphy was also banned for a similar interaction with the trans activist after she referred to Yaniv with masculine pronouns in reference to the waxing case. Twitter deemed her criticism of Yaniv “hateful conduct.” Murphy retained prominent conservative lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, and is now suing Twitter for discrimination.
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CHRC Examples of Discrimination[/caption]
BAKE THAT CAKE, BIGOT.
As details surface about the now-public Yaniv case, it’s easy to see how frivolous her complaints are – and why they are dangerous to women in Canada, if not elsewhere.
Women, particularly those who perform intimate services like bikini waxing, would be forced to touch the male genitalia of any biological male who self-identifies as female or risk losing their livelihood.
Crucially, the tribunal would be perpetuating state enforced sexual assault on the women who refused to provide Yaniv intimate services. Women, particularly those who perform intimate services like bikini waxing, would be forced to touch the male genitalia of any biological male who self-identifies as female or risk losing their livelihood.
A mother and business owner named Marcia Da Silva was forced to close her waxing business after running afoul of Yaniv. The tribunal case and alleged harassment by Yaniv took a personal toll on her.
“Some of my clients have been very significantly affected on a personal level,” said her representative and Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms lawyer, Jay Cameron. “[Another client also] closed her business, she has been depressed, anxious, sleepless and that has gone on for a period of many many months.”
“It is a very serious thing to launch a human rights complaint against a person. My clients are people. They have a right to make a living and this has interfered with their livelihood, but also you have the stigma of being associated with this hanging over you.”
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Jessica Yaniv[/caption]
Yaniv, who responded to Da Silva’s Facebook ad, never disclosed her status as a transgender woman before agreeing to the Brazilian appointment. Yaniv testified that Da Silva canceled the session after the aesthetician learned of her biological gender. Da Silva told the tribunal that she simply didn’t feel comfortable waxing male genitals because she didn’t know how, adding that she suggested to Yaniv to seek out a service that could perform a “brozilian,” a specialized procedure for men, instead.
In response, Yaniv accused Da Silva, a female immigrant of color, of being a “neo-Nazi.”
“The people that discriminated against me are forcing their beliefs on society."
It was disclosed in the hearing that the transgender complainant had also allegedly lied to professionals by asking them if they would perform the service on her while she was on her period. It is biologically impossible for Yaniv to menstruate.
Yaniv, who represented herself at the tribunal, even called her mother as a witness for cross-examination. Yaniv’s mother objected to the use of state-ordered translators who spoke on behalf of the women, many of whom are unable to properly understand or speak fluently in English. She called it a waste of tax dollars.
“The people that discriminated against me are forcing their beliefs on society,” Yaniv argued in one instance.
If Yaniv is looking for the person who is imposing in this situation, she need only look in the mirror.
Ian Miles Cheong is the managing editor of Human Events
