The transgender activist who demanded that salon workers must work on her male genitals against their will referred to one woman as a “neo-nazi,” records reveal.
With the publication ban lifted on the complaints the case, currently in the hands of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, is now available for public scrutiny.
The activist, Jessica Yaniv, argues that the women should have given her the waxing services she requested because “you cannot choose who your clientele is going to be.”
Yaniv has filed 16 human rights complaints against salon workers and estheticians in British Columbia for refusing to work on her male genitalia.
Yaniv, who previously went by her birth name Jonathan, appeared to have misled these workers about her gender identity and genitalia during the solicitation of their services, testimony reveals.
Yaniv used her birth name when messaging many of these women and often referred to herself with male pronouns until late 2018.
Many of these women were immigrants and cited cultural and religious reasons for refusing to work with male genitals.
Yaniv seemed unphased by their personal beliefs, making demeaning remarks towards several of them on social media, even inferring that they should be deported.
One woman testified that she cancelled a session with Yaniv because she had no experience with male genitalia and did not feel comfortable being alone with a biological man.
“For my safety, I said, ‘No,’” she said. She also felt uncomfortable by the constant messages Yaniv sent her before and after the cancellation.
After the complaints, but before the publication ban was lifted, Yaniv got into an argument on Twitter with True North contributor Lindsay Shepherd. At one point Yaniv insulted Shepherd’s son and her reproductive organs.
Shepherd was permanently banned on Twitter for calling Yaniv an “ugly man.” Yaniv was not chastised by Twitter at all for her insults.
The human rights tribunal is still underway, and no decisions are expected for several weeks, but several of the women did settle with Yaniv out of court for claims in the range of several thousand dollars.
At least one women has shut down her business since the event.
Yaniv remains active on social media, promoting her bizarre worldview and attacking those who criticize it. One of her more recent projects is a swimming session for young girls. Allegedly parents are not allowed to stay for the event.
Whether or not a person can be forced to touch another’s genitals against their will in the name of non-discrimination is the fundamental question the tribunal is trying to answer, as some have stated.
The answer to that question may have huge implications for civil freedoms in Canada going forward.
