Fundraiser launched for Yaniv victims

Concerned Canadian women on Twitter have organized a campaign to support the targets of Jonathan “Jessica” Yaniv’s Human Rights Tribunal claims. Yaniv has brought Human Rights complaints against sixteen British Columbian estheticians for declining to provide waxing and other services her still-male genitalia.

Twitter users Heather Juniper, @AbsnceofEvidnce, and Holly Hutton, @HollyHutton, were distraught by the impact Yaniv’s discrimination suits had on the women and collaborated to establish a GoFundMe to raise resources for them. The campaign, which launched on July 19^th, hopes to raise $70,000 to equally distribute amongst the sixteen women accused under Yaniv’s claims.

“These women don’t deserve this,” says Juniper, “They are working hard to be financially independent. At least one of them is disabled.”

Of the sixteen women, four are being represented at no cost to them by the Alberta-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. Some of the women Yaniv accused opted to settle with her out of court, fearing a lengthy and stressful process, for amounts ranging between $1,000 to $5,000. Others, according to the Justice Centre, have become completely non-responsive, some even disconnecting their phones. Of those being represented by the Justice Centre, at least three are immigrants.

SP, from Clayton Heights in Surrey, had explained to Yaniv that she had no training in waxing male genitals—a procedure called a manzillian which requires both different experience and different equipment to perform. She alleged feeling harassed by Yaniv after declining service.

MDS, an immigrant from Brazil, operated her business out of her home where small children were present, and declined services to Yaniv on the safety grounds raised by her husband. After Yaniv pursued her legally, she was forced to shut down her business. Like SP, MDS alleged felling harassed and threatened by Yaniv after declining service.

BH declined on both safety and religious grounds. A Sikh woman who immigrated to Canada, she felt uncomfortable handling male genitals in her home-based business where small children were present.

SG, a Punjabi immigrant who also declined services on religious and safety grounds, would drive to clients’ homes to perform esthetic services. Because Yaniv’s home was out of her work radius, she explained she felt unsafe, and could get lost.

She suffers from epilepsy and has suffered emotional difficulties since the case began.

While Yaniv was initially demanding $2,500 from each of the sixteen estheticians, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has confirmed that she has since increased her financial demands to a staggering $8,000 per woman affected by her claim. The BCHRT will determine whether or not Yaniv is entitled to the alleged compensation.

Juniper and Hutton’s GoFundMe hopes to distribute $7,000 to each esthetician but recognize a challenge in that some of the estheticians have shut down public communication due to stress, trauma, fear, or for other reasons.

Juniper confirmed that if the campaign is successful, the four estheticians represented by the Justice Centre will be paid immediately through their lawyers, while the remainder of the funds are held for six months as communication with the remaining estheticians is attempted.

Any funds unable to be distributed to an esthetician will be split and donated to Vancouver Rape Relief, a rape crisis shelter defunded by the city of Vancouver for refusing to alter their policy of providing a safe space to females only, and the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.

Any estheticians impacted by the claims of Jessica Yaniv, and desiring to establish communication with Juniper and Hutton, are encouraged to reach out to The Post Millennial.