CALGARY: The Justice Centre is pleased to announce that well-known complainant Jessica Yaniv (also now known as Jessica Simpson) has dropped two complaints against Vancouver beauty salons.
In January, Yaniv, who was born a biological male, but now self-identifies as a female, filed complaints against She Point Beauty Studio and Top Touch, both Vancouver esthetics salons run by women of immigrant background. The women refused to provide Yaniv with a “Brazilian” bikini wax, which is the waxing of the female genital area, due to lack of experience, personal discomfort, safety concerns, lack of training and/or religious objections.
Since 2018, Yaniv has approached at least sixteen esthetic salons in Vancouver requesting intimate waxing of male genitals, and when refused by these women, many of whom worked out of their homes with small children present, filed human rights complaints with the BC Human Rights Tribunal alleging discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression. In some cases, Yaniv asked for more than $15,000 in damages per esthetician.
She Point Beauty Studio is operated by East Indian women who are adherents to the Sikh religion. Yaniv approached the studio in August 2019 and first requested a Brazilian bikini wax. The studio refused, stating that their services are only for women. Yaniv then requested leg waxing services. Leg waxing takes place in private with the customer in their underwear or nude from the waist down. A similar complaint was lodged against Top Touch.
The Justice Centre has represented a total of seven estheticians before the BC Human Rights Tribunal in response to Yaniv’s complaints. Three of the complaints proceeded to hearing in July 2019. In October 2019, the Human Rights Tribunal dismissed three complaints by Yaniv, noting that “human rights legislation does not require a service provider to wax a type of genitals they are not trained for and have not consented to wax.”
The Tribunal also found that the complainant Jessica Yaniv had “engaged in improper conduct” and had filed complaints “for an improper purpose”. The Tribunal ordered Yaniv to pay each of the three women costs in the amount of $2000 per complaint.
The Tribunal found that Yaniv has a “grievance” against certain ethnic groups and targeted them out of racial animus to “punish” them for their cultural and religious views.
“Women have a constitutional right not to be compelled to touch biological males in an intimate or highly personal manner if they are not comfortable doing so,” states Jay Cameron, Justice Centre lawyer and Litigation Director. “Our clients are relieved these matters are concluded.”
