The internet has been abuzz with the story of a naked man who entered the women’s section of Wi Spa, a high-end Korean-style facility that offers hot and cold baths, sauna rooms, a fitness room, a restaurant and a playroom for kids.
When a “transgender woman,” a biological male who “identifies” as a woman, entered the sex-segregated women’s area, women and girls fled the room. One woman posted her response to the incident on Instagram (caution: language), and the video quickly spread on social media and in the news.
The brave, indignant woman, whose Instagram account is filled with Scripture, had seen enough. She stood up for her own privacy and safety and for that of girls and other women.
In the video, she can be heard confronting a Wi Spa staff member, saying, “So, it’s okay for a man to go into the women’s section” exposing himself to “women, young little girls, underage, in your spa? Wi Spa condones that, is that what you’re saying?”
She also faces a man who tries to explain to her that the man in the spa is transgender-identified. She soon set him straight, saying, “As a woman, I have a right to feel comfortable without a man exposing himself, OK?”
The employee tells her that the transgender-identified man has a right to enter the women’s section, because of the law. Unfortunately, the employee is correct, as both L.A. and California have laws protecting “sexual orientation and gender identity” (SOGI) in public accommodations, such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, spas and saunas.
In a statement to Los Angeles Magazine, Wi Spa pointed to “California Civil Code 51 (b), which makes discriminating against trans and other gender non-conforming people in business establishments illegal in the state.” The statement said, “Like many other metropolitan areas, Los Angeles contains a transgender population, some of whom enjoy visiting a spa. Wi Spa strives to meet the needs of all its customers.”
Now, a group is gathering Saturday, July 3, for a “Wi Spa Anti-Pedo [pedophile] Protest,” reports the magazine. News about the protest is spreading on social media. The protest announcement says, “Wi Spa is allowing men who say they’re women to use the women’s Spa and show their genitals to little girls! Women are being traumatized and Wi Spa is promoting this sexual trauma!”
One report said that a nine-year-old girl was in the room where the “transgender woman” exposed himself.
In response to the planned protest, the Southwest Chapter of the Youth Liberation Front (SCYLF) is planning a counter-protest. The group tweeted, “Local Chuds and assorted bigots are planning a rally at a local spa. Lets mask up and show our pride!”
“Chuds” is “used by people as an epithet for those perceived to be on the political right” and refers to a “gross, physically unappealing person,” Wiktionary tells us. SCYLF’s demonstration is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Saturday, an hour before the protest in favor of privacy and safety for biological females.
The organization says it wants to “Smash Transphobia” and “Smash Fascism,” and it created flyers that say, “It’s time to stand up for our trans siblings. No bigotry in L.A.”
SCYLF also attacks the woman standing up for privacy and safety for women, and their right not to be exposed to naked men. Another leaflet says, “Recently, a trans woman was harassed by a bigoted customer while at an LA spa.”
“The angry patron intimidated her, misgendered her [i.e., said this was a man with male genitalia], and made her unsafe for simply existing, the flyer continues. “This person then took a video harassing spa staff, yelling horrible transphobic things, which has gone viral in right-wing circles.”
Focus on the Family has warned believers about the dangers when SOGI nondiscrimination laws elevate ill-defined, subjective characteristics and identities to the same level as race, sex and religion. While most “transgender women” – men who live as women – do not expose themselves to women and are not pedophiles, allowing men who claim to be women into private women’s spaces threatens privacy and safety.
The same is true for boys and men who don’t want to be undressed in front of or exposed to women who say they are men. The Iowa Standard reported, just two weeks ago, that a teenage girl “was allowed to walk around the Pella Aquatic Center topless and use the men’s locker rooms with grown men and boys of all ages, exposing her breasts because she identified as a male.”
The center’s “policy says that anyone can wear the clothing necessary in line with their gender identity rather than biological sex,” an assistant manager told The Standard.
In this age of confusion about sexual identity, it’s important for Christians to understand the issues and speak the truth of God’s good design of man and woman, made in His image, courageously, wisely and kindly.
In addition, we must be aware so that we can protect our families – 17 states and hundreds of municipalities have public accommodations laws that protect “gender identity.” It’s incumbent upon us to speak up and act appropriately to protect privacy and safety for all people – but especially for women and children.
Related articles and resources:
Do ‘Gender Identity’ Laws Affect Me and My Family?
How Did We Get To This Gender-Confused Place?
Keeping Your Family Safe in Public Restrooms
Public Restrooms – Your Privacy and Safety
Responding to “SOGI” Laws—Tone and Truth
SOGI Laws: Trampling Privacy, Safety And Religious Freedom
When Sexuality Trumps Religious Freedom — The Problem With “SOGI” Laws
Photo from Wi Spa
