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WA Korean spa petitions Supreme Court over transgender ruling
A women-only Korean spa in Lynnwood, WA, is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit court ruling that requires the facility to accommodate transgender individuals. The legal battle stems from a complaint filed by a transgender woman who had not undergone gender-affirming surgery and was denied admission to the facility.
LYNNWOOD, Wash. - A women-only Korean spa in Lynnwood, Washington, is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit court ruling that requires the facility to accommodate transgender individuals.
The legal battle stems from a 2020 complaint filed by a transgender woman who had not undergone gender-affirming surgery and was denied admission to the facility.
Legal dispute over admission policies
What we know:
Olympus Spa is a traditional Korean day spa that serves women and girls ages 13 and older, offering services in communal areas where patrons are fully unclothed.
The spa is asking the nation's highest court to overturn a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
According to attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom and Pacific Justice Institute, who are defending the spa, the state of Washington said the spa must allow males who identify as women into its nude, female-only facility.
Kevin Snider, chief counsel with the Pacific Justice Institute, stated that the company's policy is rooted in both religious beliefs and traditional cultural norms regarding modesty.
"They believe that men and women should not be unclothed in each other's presence unless they are married to each other," Snider said. "That's their Christian view, and then of course... it violates their cultural sensibilities."
Snider went on to tell FOX 13, "We think that the public accommodations laws that are being used to put these males into the intimate spaces of females is an abuse of that process. It's unreasonable, and it does violate, we think, the peace and safety of the community."
WA defends anti-discrimination laws
The other side:
The Washington State Attorney General's Office represented the Washington Human Rights Commission in the legal challenge and confirmed its intention to maintain that stance before the Supreme Court.
"Olympus Spa sued our client, the Washington Human Rights Commission," the Attorney General's Office said in a statement. "We are proud that we have successfully defended Washington state law in this case, and will continue to do so."
Public reaction remains divided among spa patrons and community members. One customer visiting the facility, expressed support for inclusive policies and suggested a compromise, such as wearing swimwear in shared spaces.
Potential timeline for Supreme Court review
What's next:
If the Supreme Court agrees to review the petition, consideration would likely take place in late winter or early spring, with a potential ruling issued sometime in the spring.
The transgender woman who filed the initial 2020 complaint noted that while she remains open to talking with FOX 13, she declined to comment directly on the Supreme Court petition because she is not named as a party in the federal filing.
The Source: Information for this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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