The transgender woman who lost a Human Rights Tribunal lawsuit against several female estheticians for refusing to wax male genitalia returned to court on Monday.
Jessica Yaniv is currently facing two counts of possessing an unauthorized weapon after flashing a taser gun on a Youtube live stream.
This is Yaniv’s third hearing at the Provincial Court of British Columbia regarding this case. RCMP officers searched Yaniv’s home in August 2019 shortly after it was reported that a stun gun was on the premises.
The hearing was abruptly changed from 2 p.m. to 9 a.m without prior notice. Before the hearing, the court website still listed the hearing as having taken place in the afternoon.
As reported on by True North, on January 13 Yaniv sought a publication ban from the judge in order to suppress media coverage of the hearing. It was turned down and the judge declared that there were no provisions that would justify a publication ban to protect the accused against negative media attention.
Yaniv has a past of trying to silence the press. While the tribunal case was ongoing, Yaniv had a similar ban imposed until it was later lifted.
This time Yaniv was able to avoid media scrutiny by having a hearing earlier in the day.
According to Rebel journalist Keean Bexte, Yaniv was arrested by the RCMP after Bexte was allegedly assaulted by Yaniv on camera.
Yaniv made international news by taking sixteen immigrant women to court over refusing to perform a Brazilian wax on Yaniv’s privates.
The BC Human Rights Tribunal eventually ruled that the complaints were without merit and “motivated to punish racialized and immigrant women.” In the ruling, the tribunal ordered Yaniv to pay $2,000 to three women involved.
“In many of these complaints, [Yaniv] is also motivated to punish racialized and immigrant women based on her perception that certain ethnic groups, namely South Asian and Asian communities, are ‘taking over’ and advancing an agenda hostile to the interests of LGBTQ+ people,” wrote tribunal member Devyn Cousineau.
One woman, who was operating from her home was forced to shut down her business because of Yaniv’s complaint and lawsuit.
Yaniv has since taken several other immigrant women to the tribunal over refusing a wax.
The next hearing is scheduled for February 26 at 9:00 a.m.
