KOREATOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) – A person who identifies as a transgender female who is at the center of a controversial incident at a Los Angeles spa has been charged with multiple counts of indecent exposure.
Darren Merager, 52, of Riverside County, has been charged with five felony counts of indecent exposure, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Merager has been a registered sex offender since 2006 due to indecent exposure incidents in 2002 and 2003, according to the DA.
A search of court records shows more than 40 cases of various types under Merager’s name filed in courthouses around Southern California, dating back at least three decades.
The controversial incident happened on June 23 at the Wi Spa in the 2700 block of Wilshire Boulevard.
Police say five people came forward to report an incident of indecent exposure at the spa.
Although Merager identifies as female, several women at the spa said Merager was exposing male genitalia in the women’s section of the business.
A video circulated online shortly after the incident in which an irate customer complained to the spa staff about the exposed genitalia.
At the time, Wi Spa defended the customer’s right to be at the facilty. The spa gave a statement to Eyewitness News which read in part: “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 and safety of all of its customers, and does not tolerate harassment or lewd conduct by any customer, regardless of their sex, gender, or other characteristic.”
The incident triggered protests from the transgender community as well as counter-demonstrations.
At one point there were some altercations between the two groups and police had to use force to separate and disperse the crowd. Attorneys representing 10 injured demonstrators later filed excessive-force claims against the LAPD.
Well this is gonna suck…
Center of Transgender Protests
Edit: I thought this was about the woman who got harassed at a spa
There’s nothing we can fucking do about this shit. Like any minority group, we’re still such a large number that it’s basically mathematically guaranteed for such creeps and the like to exist and yet we’re only going to be judged by the one or two who exist. But oh no don’t judge cismen when when one of them is a pedophile. Oh no don’t even judge the clergy who make an active choice to be and actively cover it up.
The big thing I do whenever anyone tries to say something about me like that is I’m just like “okay but I’m a different person, I don’t think I’m at fault if my neighbor is a creep either”
The definition of transitioning is going to be different for everyone though? Like there isn’t an objective standard for that.
Yeah, I know, and I agree. I’m not saying there’s one way that people need to transition. They can transition in however way best suits them.
I’m just saying that being trans entails transitioning in some way, shape, or form, and the label just denotes that.
So an NB trans person isn’t valid because they aren’t taking pills to look how you want them to? Transmed garbage, gender isn’t just decided by certain biological things happening like your skin becomes softer, it’s many factors INCLUDING those that make up our ideas of gender, but gender abolition requires undermining those, so if you are saying this transmed garbage you are simply against ALL trans people and only want some trans people, you can fuck off
Also there are people who live in countries where they can’t access HRT that want it, you are like “oh well I will consider them trans because they want pills :)” but what if they never can? Still going to consider them trans?
Also what if you are trans and have liver cancer or a liver disease and literally CANT take hormone blockers? Still trans?
Yeah, I’m a cissie so I can’t say much here. I accept people for how they identify, but get your point.
Giving in to social normalization by transitioning for the good of others (and not ourselves) doesn’t solve anything.
I am literally not saying this. Transition exists and is something we do for ourselves. You are misinterpreting.
In a similar way we didn’t expect gay or lesbian people to settle for civil unions or to blend in by acting “less gay” to ease the complaints of bigots.
I am not telling anyone to act “less trans.” I want trans people to be able to be more open and accepted. Trans people should absolutely not have to compromise on that by hiding themselves (though I am completely sympathetic to those trans people who are closeted out of necessity)
But putting the cart of transitioning before the horse of social acceptance will only lead to more sad closeted or stealth people.
I am not talking about cart and horse. I am just advocating for a more concrete definition of what it means to be trans. Pre transition people are still trans, because they have that desire to eventually transition, and as such they deserve equal acceptance.
Cis person is a sex offender: I sleep
Trans person is a sex offender: REAL SHIT
The expectation is for trans people to be flawless: any bad people and we get to “be concerned”. Every day cis people murder, rape, assault, abuse… It doesn’t matter. " It’s not because they’re cis stupid" but sure any time a trans person does something bad it’s because they’re trans.
