Korean Spa Loses Case Over Policy Denying Transgender Women

A divided federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that a pair of Korean spas that excluded entry of certain transgender women violated a Washington state anti-discrimination law.

The majority opinion by a panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a lower court’s ruling, which dismissed a challenge brought by the spas, alleging the Washington State Human Rights Commission violated their free speech rights by forcing them to change their policy about transgender patrons.

The spas’ policy only grants entry to “biological women” and excludes men as well as transgender women who have “not yet received ...