"‘I am Transgender’ Sexual Offender Charged for Exposing Body in Women’s Spa in LA Koreatown"

A spa in LA Koreatown where a controversy arose over transgender women entering female baths.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A transgender person who entered the women's bath at a spa in Koreatown, Los Angeles (LA), USA, was charged with indecent exposure, causing a commotion.

The Los Angeles County Prosecutor's Office announced on the 3rd (local time) through the Los Angeles Times (LAT) and others that Darren Merriweather (52), who exposed his private parts in the women's bath of a spa, was charged with five felony counts. They explained that Merriweather visited a Korean spa on Wilshire Boulevard in LA on June 23, which sparked controversy.

At that time, Merriweather exposed his naked male body and claimed that his gender identity was a transgender woman while entering the women's bath. This led to a heated protest by customers in the women's bath against the spa staff, and five of those customers reported Merriweather to the police.

Merriweather claimed that he is legally a woman and that the report of indecent exposure was an act of discrimination against transgender people. As a result, pro- and anti-LGBTQ groups held separate protests in front of the spa, which escalated into violent clashes.

The LA Police stated that Merriweather was convicted of indecent exposure in 2002 and 2003 and has been registered as a sex offender since 2006. He was also charged with seven counts of exposure in 2019 and is currently undergoing trial, including an incident where he exposed himself naked to women and children at a swimming pool in West Hollywood Park.

Meanwhile, the police announced that an arrest warrant has been issued for Merriweather, and he reportedly expressed his intention to voluntarily surrender to the police in an interview with a media outlet.