In case you managed to miss the tragic story of Jessica Yaniv, here’s a quick recap:

In 2018, Yaniv [born Jonathan Yaniv] filed 16 human rights complaints with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, charging various waxing and esthetic salon workers with transphobic discrimination for declining to provide waxing and other beautification services to her male genitals. Each of these salons or salon workers had specifically indicated they only provided intimate area services to female clients, or had challenged Yaniv on her gender due to her then-male name being used on social media, and male presenting photograph. It is worth noting that Yaniv used male pronouns and her male name on her LinkedIn and various social media as late as November of 2018. Of the 16 defendants, many are women of colour with religious and/or cultural backgrounds which would have regulated or otherwise made it strictly uncomfortable to have close interaction with male genitals. … Yaniv’s complaints were effectively asserting that it should be made a legal precedent that female estheticians not be allowed to refuse male-bodied clients. Not on religious grounds. Not on cultural grounds. Not because of their comfort level. Not even because they did not have the professional skills or equipment required to successfully perform the very specific “manzillian” procedure. They simply should not be allowed to refuse contact with a penis, period.

In short, Yaniv is stunning and brave.

This is the brave woman taking multiple female beauticians to court in British Columbia for refusing to wax her scrotum. When it comes to social justice, Canada always seems to be light years ahead. ??✊?️‍? pic.twitter.com/xnv60zTjhq — Titania McGrath (@TitaniaMcGrath) July 20, 2019

Leave it to self-described “problematic” Ricky Gervais to try to smear Yaniv’s good name:

If she has a scrotum surly this rules him out of being a women??‍♂️ — barry toms (@TomsBarry) July 20, 2019

If a lady wants smooth bollocks then she should be able to force people to wax them. It’s the rules. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 20, 2019

You might want to grab a snack or at least a drink. Gervais provides the show:

It's a sad state of affairs when a lady can't have her hairy balls waxed. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 20, 2019

Also if you dont want to wax peoples private parts maybe dont work in the waxing industry. — Maarten Kros (@Krostiman) July 20, 2019

Exactly. And if you don't want to butter my balls and put them between two slices of bread, don't work in a sandwich shop. https://t.co/VaEKogyFJI — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 20, 2019

Ooof.

if you want your balls waxed, go to someone who does that, dont target women who work from home who specify they only wax women. — TheWitchesAreBack (@ThatFemale66) July 20, 2019

Trans women ARE women.

The place of business should have specified that they did not serve Trans women. — MyTweetsK*llFascists (A Woody Guthrie Reference) (@JoeHuman35) July 20, 2019

Or that they don't wax big hairy balls. Male or female. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 20, 2019

How did we get to the point where women are having to fight for the right to choose whether they wax some big old hairy cock & balls or not? It is not a human right to have your meat & 2 veg polished. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

It’s not?!

It is a woman's right to say 'I don't wax testicles. On a man or a woman'. End of discussion. No sexism. No homophobia. No transphobia. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

But it wasn’t the end of the discussion.

Ricky Gervais is a transphobe who (barely) disguises his bigotry as feminism. Real feminism includes all women, including trans women. — Amy Martin #FBPE (@amyywrites) July 21, 2019

Don’t feel special, @rickygervais pokes fun at everyone. Dial down the PC and you’ll have a much happier life — LucilleB (@98BARWIN) July 21, 2019

Not if his comments fuel and incite hate towards a particular group because of his influential words on a platform. — Angra Mainyu (@TheDevilsfavour) July 21, 2019

Not a group. One person. A person who preyed on vulnerable women and tried to get them to wax her big old balls. Then sued them when they refused. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

Was it their job? Or was this just to random women? And you have to understand that attacking one person who is firmly in the media and singling out their life choice as a joke is a tad inciteful? — Angra Mainyu (@TheDevilsfavour) July 21, 2019

It was not their job to wax testicles, no. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

No I know. My point is that this person was basically abusing women. Trans or not, that's not nice. A pervert is a pervert however they identify. Most trans people don't act like this. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

Gervais makes it quite clear that his beef is with Yaniv and what he/she did; not with the trans community as a whole.

Surely real feminism also covers a woman’s right not to have to wax someone’s knob & bollocks if they don’t want to. https://t.co/RqsrtQs42o — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

One would think.

It is a woman's right to say 'I don't wax testicles. On a man or a woman'. End of discussion. No sexism. No homophobia. No transphobia. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

Those transgender people have had it far too easy for far too long now. Time they were taken down a peg or two ? (For the people hard of understanding, this is sarcasm) — Tontishy (@tontishy) July 21, 2019

Not transgender people. Transgender person. This is the transgender person we're talking about. Love to hear your thoughts. pic.twitter.com/5Svqi32RR3 — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

Yaniv indeed has his/her own highly problematic history.

It's not aimed at an entire group. It is aimed at one person who tried to get venerable women to wax their balls then sued them when they refused. This is some of their lovely posts too… pic.twitter.com/mpNwmumPit — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

Definitely sounds like someone whose genitalia unwilling women of color should be forced to wax.

Because you're not listening. Being critical of this transperson's behaviour is no more transphobic than criticising Bill Cosby is racist. It has nothing to do with their 'transness'. It has everything to do with their deeds. Simple. — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 21, 2019

It is simple. What it’s not, however, is woke. And you know what? That’s a good thing. Gervais, unlike Yaniv’s defenders, is actually standing up for feminism. Real feminism.

I am appalled but not surprised to see @rickygervais attacking a stunning and brave transwoman on here, simply because she's taken a group of immigrant women to court for refusing to wax her balls. His intolerance of progressive feminism is off the charts. — Jarvis Dupont (@JarvisDupont) July 21, 2019

I’ve been advocating for the arrest and imprisonment of @rickygervais for over a year now. It’s good to see his jailing is now close at hand. Denying a woman the right to have her big hairy ball bag buffed is unforgivable — Wrightly Willowleaf? (@wrightleaf) July 21, 2019

Heh.

Seriously, though. Kudos to Gervais. He’s getting all kinds of woke pushback and doesn’t give a damn. One could argue he’s showing a hell of a lot more bollocks than even Yaniv.

Of course Gervais is being labelled a bigot, transphobe & being accused of promoting hate. Standard. https://t.co/QCNmyzxfui — Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) July 22, 2019

So people are saying @rickygervais is transphobic because he disagrees that someone should be forced to wax a persons balls? I hope those arguing him apply for the job themselves. — Charley Bailey (@_CharleyBailey_) July 21, 2019

***

Update:

Another fun little Yaniv tidbit:

Jessica Yaniv is hosting a topless LGBTQ swimming event for girls (“people”) 12 and up where parents and guardians are not permitted to be present. pic.twitter.com/WCN2MUbo32 — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 22, 2019

What the absolute fresh hell is this? https://t.co/sf5FQdvmX0 — Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) July 22, 2019

There’s seriously so much more hell where that came from.

But Gervais is the bad guy.