Protesters clash outside Koreatown spa over transgender rights

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Protesters clashed at a duel outside the Koreatown resort on Saturday over a recent transgender rights incident, prompting Los Angeles police wearing riot gear to the scene.

Police ordered the crowd to disperse after fights broke out between the two groups in front of the Way Spa at 2700 Block on Wilshire Boulevard around 1:45 pm, according to police and videos posted on Twitter and other social media.

“Protesters have now cleared the place,” Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department told the City News Service. “Pretty much everyone complied with the order to leave.”

The demonstrations appear to have been prompted by an incident that occurred last weekend at the spa. An angry customer posted a video on Instagram under the name Cubana Angel and it quickly went viral.

The woman in the video is complaining to workers at the Way Spa that a man walked into the women’s section and showed his genitals to young girls, according to the video posted on the social media platform. The customer that the woman complained about is said to have been identified as a woman.

The woman can be heard saying, “He is a man.” “He is not a female. There are girls out there, other women who are very offended by what they just saw and did nothing. I stood with him.”

Wi Spa defended its policy in a statement to Los Angeles Magazine.

“Like many other urban areas, Los Angeles has a pool of transgender people, some of whom enjoy visiting a spa,” the statement said. “Wi Spa strives to meet the needs of all of its clients.”

Demonstrators against the spa policy demonstrated in front of the building early Saturday but counter-protesters staged a “No Blind Bandit in Los Angeles” rally. Then the members of each group started to fight with each other and the police were sent to the scene.

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