Korean jjimjilbang that kicked out transgender people who did not perform surgery… ‘Baffled’ by US court ruling
- allforyouclick
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- on Jun 13, 2023
A women-only jjimjilbang in the Seattle area 메이저사이트(Washington), USA, is in a situation where it is necessary to allow transgender people who have not undergone sex reassignment surgery to enter.
According to the New York Post and others on the 9th (local time), the Seattle District Court recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by Olympus Spa, a women-only jjimjilbang, and ruled to delete the ‘biological women-only’ policy.
Olympus Spa is a women-only jjimjilbang run by a Korean family. In January 2020, transgender activist Haven Wilbitch was at the center of a controversy when he raised the issue.
At the time, Will Beach claimed to have applied for membership in the jjimjilbang, but was rejected on the grounds that he had male genitals and that other members might feel uncomfortable. Wilbeach did not undergo sex reassignment surgery, so he is biologically male.
In response, Wilbeach took issue with the Washington Human Rights Commission ( WSHRC ). The WSHRC ordered the deletion of the provision, saying that “Olympus Spa discriminated against Wilbitch on the basis of sexual orientation.”
Will Beach wrote on her Facebook page, “I did it. Worked with the WSHRC to change the women’s spa policy so that all women, regardless of surgery, can access it.”
“Our facility is a traditional Korean health spa for women,” said an Olympus spa operator.
Spa rejected the order in March of last year and filed a lawsuit, but the Seattle District Court dismissed it on the 5th. It is not known whether Olympus Spa will appeal.