Comedian-actor Ricky Gervais has called out Canadian transgender activist Jessica Yaniv who claims to have been emotionally “hurt” after a gynecologist office declined an appointment.
Yaniv, who was born male and now identifies as a transgender woman, gained notoriety earlier this year for filing a lawsuit against a group of female Vancouver beauticians, alleging discrimination when they declined to perform a Brazilian bikini wax on Yaniv’s male genitalia.
The case, which Yaniv ultimately lost, drew widespread mockery from some media and entertainment personalities, who speculated whether Yaniv was just grievance shopping. Among the skeptics was Gervais, who joked on Twitter that he would dress up as Yaniv for Halloween so that he wouldn’t have to shave his “big old hairy balls.”
Yaniv claimed this week that a gynecologist office declined service, saying “we don’t serve transgender patients.” The activist took to Twitter to express shock and dismay.
“And me, being me, I’m shocked.. and confused… and hurt,” Yaniv wrote. “Are they allowed to do that, legally? Isn’t that against the college practices?”
Gervais took the opportunity to have another laugh at Yaniv’s expense, cracking a joke about Yaniv’s rejection.
“It’s disgusting that a qualified gynaecologist can refuse to check a lady’s cock for ovarian cancer. What if her bollocks are pregnant? She could lose the baby. I’m outraged,” Gervais tweeted Tuesday.
Gervais’ comments drew swift condemnation on social media, with some people accusing the comedian of anti-trans prejudice.
An essay published last month by Indiewire demanded that Gervais be fired from his upcoming job hosting the Golden Globes ceremony on NBC because of his jokes about Yaniv and his past jokes about Caitlyn Jenner.
“In an age where comedians are rightfully being held accountable for bigoted words and actions from years prior… Gervais continues to tweet vitriol toward the LGBTQ+ community only to face no repercussions,” Indiewire editor Libby Hill wrote.
Yaniv stated that she plans to file a formal complaint against the gynecologist office to The College of Physicians and Surgeons in British Columbia.
“Trans people need to be included, not excluded from society. Pre and post gender affirming surgery care is super important!” Yaniv tweeted Tuesday.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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