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Human Rights Tribunal Sides With Women Who Refused To Wax Male Genitalia Of Trans Woman

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (CBS Local) -- A Canadian human rights tribunal has ruled in favor of multiple home-based female estheticians who refused to wax the male genitalia of a person who identifies as a woman.

The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal announced the decision against Jessica Yaniv on Tuesday, saying she "filed complaints for improper purposes," according to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.

"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 ruling said.

Yaniv, who was born male, claimed five estheticians in the Vancouver area discriminated against her on separate occasions when she requested a Brazilian bikini wax, which removes most or all pubic hair.

The estheticians said they offered the service only to female clients. The women said they are not trained to wax male genitalia, which could cause serious injury to the customer. Several of the estheticians also cited religious objections.

"No woman should be compelled to touch male genitals against her will, irrespective of how the owner of the genitals identifies," said defense lawyer Jay Cameron.

Yaniv filed fifteen complaints in all, seeking as much as $15,000 in damages against each esthetician.

The tribunal ordered Yaniv to pay $2,000 to each of the three estheticians represented in the case.

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