National Post journalist Barbara Kay, BC MLA Dallas Brodie, columnist Meghan Murphy, the Western Standard CEO Derek Fildebrandt, activist Kari Simpson are being sued.
Photo of transgender activist Jessica Simpson (Courtesy of CBC)
A BC Supreme Court Justice described Simpson as a “prolific litigant.”
Since March, transgender activist Jessica Simpson (formerly Jonathan Yaniv) has filed over 30 human rights complaints against five Canadians for “misgendering” and discrimination.
At issue is whether writers, politicians, and media outlets can be punished for referring to Simpson, a biological male, as “he” or “him.”
Lawyers at Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms are defending BC MLA Dallas Brodie, National Post journalist Barbara Kay, columnist and Feminist Current founder Meghan Murphy, activist Kari Simpson, entrepreneur Derek Fildebrandt and the Western Standard. All of them stand accused by Simpson of “misgendering.”
If the BC Human Rights Tribunal finds these Canadians guilty of discrimination, they could be forced to pay hundreds of thousands in damages and costs.
Who is Jessica Simpson (formerly Jonathan Yaniv)?
Residing in British Columbia, Simpson is a career transgender activist – once described by a BC Supreme Court Justice as a “prolific litigant.”
In 2019, lawyers funded by the Justice Centre assisted five Vancouver-area women facing human rights complaints filed by Simpson after they declined to perform a Brazilian wax on Simpson’s male genitalia. Multiple law firms denied several of these women legal representation for fear of being labelled “transphobic.”
The BC Human Rights Tribunal dismissed these complaints.
At the time, the Tribunal noted that Simpson had “engaged in improper conduct,” had filed complaints “for an improper purpose,” and ordered Simpson to pay three of the estheticians $2,000 each in costs. The Tribunal even found that Simpson was motivated by financial gain and by a racist attitude toward the immigrant estheticians.
A BC Supreme Court Justice described Simpson as a “prolific litigant.”
In 2019, Simpson filed another discrimination complaint, seeking $10,000 in damages against Canada Galaxy Pageants (CGP).
When applying to compete in a female beauty pageant, Simpson was asked whether a full surgical transition had been completed – a requirement for all transgender competitors. Simpson did not answer the question and later filed a human rights complaint against CGP.
In 2025, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal dismissed the case after Simpson repeatedly failed to meet the Tribunal’s deadlines.
