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.

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...

      • winterchillie [she/her]
        ·
        3 years ago

        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.

          • winterchillie [she/her]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Intent + having dysphoria is an initial thing that makes you trans in a hypothetical way. Like people understand that you are going to be transitioning soon and accept you as a trans person for that reason.

            Once you begin transition then you are a trans person. But I also don't think we should exclude people who want to transition just because they have not started yet.

            What I am against is lumping non-transitioning people under "trans", like is commonly done.

    • VeganVelveeta [she/her]
      ·
      3 years ago

      The definition of transitioning is going to be different for everyone though? Like there isn’t an objective standard for that.

      • winterchillie [she/her]
        ·
        3 years ago

        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.

        • VeganVelveeta [she/her]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Yeah, I’m a cissie so I can’t say much here. I accept people for how they identify, but get your point.

          • winterchillie [she/her]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Like let me be totally clear I'm very much anti gatekeeping, and I understand that transition means different things and isn't something fixed or homogenous.

            • VeganVelveeta [she/her]
              ·
              3 years ago

              Thanks for clarifying, I assumed that’s what you meant. 😊 Sorry if I was short, I need to buy coffee so my brain is fuzzy wuzzy right now.

        • BUSSYBUS [they/them]
          ·
          3 years ago

          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?

          • winterchillie [she/her]
            ·
            3 years ago

            So an NB trans person isn’t valid because they aren’t taking pills to look how you want them to?

            You literally are maliciously misinterpreting me. I said transition's different for everyone, not everyone wants to take pills. What matters is that they're transitioning.

            • BUSSYBUS [they/them]
              ·
              3 years ago

              Bullshit, before you were clearly trying to draw a line that there are certain trans people who aren't trans because they don't fit a criteria,it's not our fault you are being so vague, define what you mean clearly by transitioning.