Wi Spa controversy
2021 transgender rights controversy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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On June 24, 2021, a woman posted a video to Instagram in which she had confronted staff at Wi Spa, a Korean spa in Los Angeles, about the presence of a nude individual with a penis, most commonly believed to be a trans woman, in the women's changing area of the spa. The video went viral, attracting significant attention from trans-excluding feminists (a.k.a. gender-critical feminists or TERFs) online and right-wing media, which led to protests and counter-protests on July 3 and 17 over the alleged access. Some media initially questioned whether the alleged incident had been a hoax.
Date | June 24, 2021 (2021-06-24) |
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Location | Wi Spa, 2700 Wilshire Blvd, Koreatown/Westlake, Los Angeles, California |
Coordinates | 34°03′39″N 118°16′58″W |
Also known as | Wi Spa incident |
Cause | Allegation of nudity, possibly indecent exposure, in a women's changing room by a transgender woman with a penis |
Outcome | Wi Spa protests (see below) |
Arrests | 1 (suspect) on December 13, 2022[1] |
Accused | 52 year-old non-binary individual[2][3][1] |
Charges | Indecent exposure[2][3] |
On August 30, 2021, an individual, commonly reported to be a transgender woman, was charged with indecent exposure relating to the alleged incident after four women and one minor girl filed police reports in July 2021.[4] The suspect had previously been convicted of indecent exposure in 2002 and 2003, being obliged to register as a sex offender since 2006 and convicted for failing to register in 2008.[4] The suspect is awaiting trial on seven counts of indecent exposure, according to court documents from 2019.[2] The suspect has denied guilt, claiming harassment over being a trans person.[2][3]
On February 12, 2023, a judge ruled that the indecent exposure case could proceed, citing the testimony of two witnesses that the individual in question had a partial or full erection for a duration of "30 to 60 minutes" during the incident.[5]