Antifa rallies behind biological male who exposed genitals to women and children in LA spa

The Koreatown health club became the center of controversy after a female customer confronted spa staff about a transwoman with male genitals being permitted to disrobe in the spa's women section. The confrontation was caught on camera over the weekend, fueling online discourse with threats of a boycott against the spa. Antifa groups are now painting the incident as as a matter of trans rights—opposed to the rights of "cisgender" females to not be exposed to male anatomy.

"Please consider joining us as we stand against rampant transphobia in Los Angeles," tweeted SoCal Antifa, a self-described group of Antifa activists spread throughout Southern California. The Twitter account has turned off comments.

SoCal Antifa posted an event graphic calling on activists to protest at the Wi Spa tomorrow. "It's time to stand up up for our trans siblings," the ad reads. "No bigotry in L.A." The graphic urges, "Everyone has a right to self care!"

The woman, who posted the three-minute video to Instagram, can be heard ranting in clip, claiming to spa staff that a naked man was in the women's section at Wi Spa in Koreatown. "He is a man," the woman known by Instagram username "cubanaangel" states in the video. "He is not no female," she insists. According to the woman, the biological male was harassing women by exposing himself in the women's section. She maintains that he's the perpetrator, not the victim.

"Wi Spa, so it's okay. I just want to be clear with you. It's okay for a man to go into the women's section, show his penis to young little girls. Your spa, Wi Spa, condones that," she said. "Girls down there, other women who are highly offended by what they just saw and you did absolutely nothing. You sided with him. Wi Spa is in agreement," the woman says to the workers at the spa's front desk.

The woman notes that other women are naked alongside mothers with young daughters and teenagers in the all-female section. "The Wi Spa allowed the man access just because he calls himself a woman," she writes on Instagram. "This man was naked expoding [sic] his testicles and penis slinging left to right in front of young girls, teens and grown women," the June 24 caption reads. To date, the Instagram post alone amassed over 111,000 views and almost 3,000 comments.

Later in the video, the woman at one point encourages other women at the spa to request refunds. In the comment section of the Instagram post, she doubles down and writes, "REAL WOMEN RIGHTS MATTER."

The SoCal Antifa account gaslights the harassment that occurred. "Recently, a trans woman was harassed by a bigoted customer while at an LA spa," SoCal Antifa describes the incident. "The angry patron intimidated her, misgendered her, and made her feel unsafe for simply existing," the event graphic continues.

The account then claims that the female victim-turned-"angry patron" who recorded the dispute was "yelling horrible transphobic things."

"Our trans siblings need us now more than ever to stand up for their right to safe spaces," the SoCal Antifa advertisement concludes, claiming that "transphobic conservatives are planning to protest against Wi Spa for simply serving transgender folks without discrimination."

"LA has no tolerance for transphobia," another SoCal Antifa caption reads.

SoCal Antifa's website outlines the antifascist coalition's "Points of Unity" dated May 2, including anti-racism, anti-misogyny, anti-queerphobia, anti-capitalism, and anti-imperialism. The Antifa group maintains it's united in "opposition to fascism" in all of its purported forms "by any means necessary."

"Local Chuds and assorted bigots are planning a rally at a local spa. Lets mask up and show our pride!" tweeted the South West chapter of the Youth Liberation Front (SW YLF). Another event graphic for Saturday's counter protest instructs fellow Antifa comrades to "Smash Transphobia" and "Smash Fascism." The opposing direct action event is being framed as an "Intersectional PRIDE Rally."

The Hispanic woman who uploaded the video shared the event flyer on Instagram, pressing for the public to stand for women and children's safety "AGAINST LYING TRANS MEN COMING INTO WOMEN'S SPACES EXPOSING [themselves]."

As the presumed organizer of the "Anti-Pervert/Anti-Pedo Protest" scheduled on the same date, she voices outrage that "[w]omen are being traumatized and Wi Spa has taken no action!" The post has gained over 900 likes within one day.

A man approaches the woman in the video and reiterates that the person in question is transgender. "I am a woman who knows how to speak up for my rights," she retorted. "I have a right to feel comfortable without a man exposing himself. He is not transgender; he has a penis just like you do. It's not okay."

Wi Spa told CBS Los Angeles that the spa's employees follow state law, which makes discrimination against transgender customers and other gender non-conforming individuals in business establishments illegal.

"What law?" the woman asks in the video when an employee cites the legislation, telling another woman: "Get your money back … he ain't no woman."

In a statement to Los Angeles, the spa points to California civil code 51 (b), which makes discriminating against trans and other gender non-conforming people in business establishments illegal in the state. "Like many other metropolitan areas, Los Angeles contains a transgender population, some of whom enjoy visiting a spa," the statement goes on. "Wi Spa strives to meet the needs of all its customers."