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Transgender woman lodges complaint against waxing center that denied service, citing Muslim employee's beliefs

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(RNN) – The owner of a waxing business in Canada is facing a human rights complaint after denying service to a transgender woman.

The woman has submitted a complaint stating she was seeking a leg waxing.

Jason Carruthers, the owner of Mad Wax in Windsor, Ontario, claims the request was for a Brazilian wax that would involve male parts, a service his business couldn’t perform.

He told the Windsor Star newspaper he had no male staff to perform such a wax, and his only female employee working the day the woman requested the service is an observant Muslim who does not perform waxings on male parts.

The woman is seeking $50,000 for “immense harm” to her dignity in her complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

In her submission to the tribunal, she said the “refusal to provide me with leg-waxing services because I am a transgender woman, and their disclosing my name, gender identity and personal information to various media outlets has left me feeling threatened, exposed, with my rights violated,” CTV in Windsor reported.

Carruthers told the Star that “all clients, regardless of sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, are welcome” at his business.

But “we also welcome and support all of our staff members and respect their religious beliefs and feelings of safety and dignity in regards to the right to perform waxing services on males or male genitals.”

The Star reported the parties will meet with a mediator and then have an official hearing before the tribunal if the matter cannot be settled.

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