There are many things that make life difficult for trans women. But what should not make life more difficult is someone from your own community—someone who claims to be fighting for the cause but is, in reality, making every single person on the planet groan and say.
Really? This is what we’re doing now?
Which brings us to Jessica Yaniv.
The Waxing Debacle, or,
How to Lose Friends and Alienate a Human Rights Tribunal
Once upon a time, in the mystical land of British Columbia, Yaniv decided to test the limits of trans rights by demanding that several home-based estheticians provide her with a Brazilian wax. Not just any estheticians—primarily women who worked out of their own homes and had, in most cases, never waxed male genitalia before. Many of them were immigrants, some were religious, and all of them declined the service, for reasons that should have been obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense.
Rather than, say, finding another waxing professional (or, I don’t know, shaving?), Yaniv sued. She dragged these women into a legal battle, claiming discrimination, and in doing so, became the worst possible spokesperson for trans rights. The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal eventually ruled against her, stating that her complaints were filed in bad faith—shocking, I know.
What was gained from this? Absolutely nothing. What was lost? The credibility of trans people trying to fight actual discrimination in healthcare, employment, and public services.1
The Pool Party Nobody Wanted
If you thought the waxing fiasco was bad, wait until you hear about the topless pool party. Yaniv—someone with a documented history of making deeply unsettling comments about underage girls—proposed a swimsuit-optional event for minors. And, because that wasn’t bad enough, she wanted to ban parents from attending.
Yes, that’s right. An adult known for fixating on girls’ bathroom habits wanted to organize an event where teenagers could swim semi-nude without parental supervision.
Predictably, people were horrified. The event was canceled. The damage, however, was done. Anyone advocating for trans-inclusive spaces now had to deal with this as an example of “what happens when you let trans women into women’s spaces.”
Legal Shenanigans and the Joy of Being a Walking Lawsuit
If there is one thing Yaniv loves more than ill-advised pool parties, it’s suing people. Whether it’s estheticians, critics on Twitter, or random journalists who dare to point out her behavior, Yaniv has made legal threats her own personal hobby. She has harassed reporters, accused people of hate crimes for disagreeing with her, and generally acted like a one-woman lawsuit machine.
The British Columbia Tribunal, having had quite enough of this nonsense, not only ruled against Yaniv in her waxing cases3 but also called her out for essentially using the legal system as a personal weapon. The message was clear: This is not how human rights work.
Thank God for Blaire White
She’s going to get a lot of mentions on this site because she’s one of the only brave, openly trans women who is normal and calls this shit out. Watch her discuss Yaniv here: https://www.youtube.com/embed/MI_lXO7zrAQ?
The Fallout: Making Life Harder for Trans Woman
Yaniv has made everything harder for trans women who just want to exist in the world like normal people.
Want to have a discussion about fair access to services? Well, now you have to start by explaining that, no, trans people are not filing frivolous lawsuits against small business owners just trying to make a living.
Want to advocate for gender-affirming care? Great! But first, you have to explain that no, trans people are not trying to force unwilling estheticians to handle their genitals.
Want to argue that trans women should be able to safely use public bathrooms? Well, now you have to address the Jessica Yaniv Effect, in which one person’s bizarre and self-serving behavior becomes a talking point for every anti-trans activist on the planet.
From the Feminist Current“The only people talking about bathrooms are trans activists. Meanwhile, no one is interested in stopping anyone from peeing.”
“The activists, academics, and media outlets who push this narrative consistently ignore women’s actual concerns and words, opting instead to vilify them as ‘transphobes.’ The fact that women (and other concerned members of the public) have articulated very clearly, many times over, what their concerns are, yet are still ignored and misrepresented, only tells me that trans activism has no answer for them. There is simply no rational, ethical way to say, ‘No, we don’t believe females should have boundaries or protections.’ So, instead, they rail on about bathrooms, as if they aren’t the only ones endlessly talking about this imaginary problem.”—Megan Murphy
Conclusion
Jessica Yaniv is not a hero. She is not a trailblazer. She is not a martyr for trans rights. What she is—unfortunately—is a cautionary tale about what happens when someone weaponizes trans identity for personal gain.
Trans people, like anyone else, deserve dignity, respect, and fair treatment under the law. What they do not need is someone waging pointless legal battles, making inappropriate comments about teenagers, and behaving in a way that actively damages the fight for trans equality.
Because here’s the thing about rights: they’re built on trust. On mutual respect. On working to create a world where people can live their lives without fear or harassment.
And that is something Jessica Yaniv clearly does not understand.
Text is available under the CC BY-SA-NC 4.0 license.
References
- Simon Little, “Transgender Woman Denied Waxing of Male Genitals Wasn’t Discriminated against: Tribunal,” Global News, October 22, 2019, archived link, https://globalnews.ca/news/6068486/transgender-woman-genital-waxing-discrimination-tribunal/.
- Image from Rebel News. Image is presumably © Rebel News.
- Yaniv v. Various Waxing Salons (No. 3), 2019 BCHRT 244 (CanLII), https://canlii.ca/t/j3bwg, retrieved on 2025-05-10.