Local
Woman claims anti-gender discrimination at Va. spa
Riya Suising said Spa World manager asked her to leave because she thought she was a man
Riya Suising (Photo courtesy of Riya Suising)
A California woman has claimed a manager of a popular Fairfax County spa asked her to leave because she thought she was a man.
The Fairfax Times first reported earlier on Friday that Riya Suising of Palo Alto, Calif., decided to visit Spa World in Centreville last November while she was on a business trip in the D.C. area. She told the Washington Blade she was in a female bathing pool when a manager approached her, said she was a man and asked her to leave.
“I have slightly wider shoulders and I think that’s what she commented on,” Suising said, noting she is a marathon runner with an athletic build. “I think that’s how other customers saw me as well.”
Suising said the manager showed her a letter “written and signed” by five other customers who were in the spa at the same time she was there. She added she put her clothes on and went into her office where she showed her identification that contained a female gender marker.
“That didn’t satisfy her,” Suising said. “She said she’s very sorry, she has to do that to take care of her other customers.”
Suising said she tried to file a complaint with the Virginia Human Rights Council in December, but was unable to do so because the commonwealth’s non-discrimination law does not include gender identity and expression. She said a second complaint that claims discrimination because of ethnicity and sex is pending.
Suising also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in January.
Spa World owner Sang Lee confirmed in his Feb.16 response to it that management “asked the customer to leave the facility, for the safety and the comfort of the other customers, and also to promote a healthy reputation for our business.”
“It is our policy not to accept any kinds of abnormal sexual oriented customers to our facility such as homosexuals, or transgender,” he wrote. “We strongly enforce this policy for the safety and the comfort for (sic.) our customers, and also to promote a healthy reputation for our business. Spa World accepts family-oriented customers many times with young children. Also, for the safety and the comfort for young children at Spa World, we strongly forbid any abnormal sexual behaviors and orientation in our facility.”
Lee acknowledged “the controversial issue of homosexuality and transgender,” but reaffirmed Spa World’s policy “to not accept them.”
“We did our best to communicate to the customer in proper manner,” he wrote. “Once again, we feel sorry about this incident. I hope the customer can understand our position.”
Spa World (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Riea Choi of Spa World denied Suising’s allegations in a brief interview with the Blade on Friday afternoon.
“We don’t discriminate against people,” she said. “The [Fairfax Times] article is wrong.”
The spa categorized Lee’s statements to the Better Business Bureau as “a communications error” in a subsequent post to its Facebook page.
“What was meant to be the point of that letter was, SpaWorld does not condone of homosexual as well as heterosexual misconduct and actions,” it reads. “We do not care about the sexual orientation of any customers; we simply ask that you keep to yourselves and refrain from having sex in a public bathroom.”
Suising said she would like to see Spa World change their policy.
“If they do that I would love to go back again and be a good customer and spend my money there if they welcome me,” she said.
Equality Virginia also urged Spa World to change its policy in an e-mail to supporters.
As D.C. prepares to welcome the world for the biggest Pride celebration of the year, “America’s Metro system” is encouraging visitors and locals alike to take the Metro to WorldPride events.
On May 24, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority unveiled a series of specially wrapped vehicles in honor of the upcoming WorldPride celebration. The colorful fleet — featuring a set of train cars, a bus, and a Metro operations vehicle — is decked out in vibrant rainbow stripes alongside the message: “Metro proudly welcomes the world.”
Riders can track the WorldPride-themed train and bus in real time by visiting wmata.com/live and clicking on the “Special Edition” option.
To accommodate the estimated two to three million visitors expected in the D.C. area, WMATA is also boosting rail service from June 6-8. Service enhancements include the extended operation of the Yellow Line to Greenbelt Station — typically the end of the Green Line — on both Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, in an effort to ease crowding on Metro lines serving WorldPride events.
Metro is also expanding hours that weekend to help Pride-goers get to and from celebrations:
- Friday, June 6: Metro service extended by one hour, closing at 2 a.m.
- Saturday, June 7: Metro opens one hour earlier at 6 a.m. and closes at 2 a.m.
- Sunday, June 8: Metro opens at 6 a.m. and closes at midnight
Keep in mind that last train times vary by station. To avoid missing the final train, check the “Stations” page on the WMATA website or app. Metrobus will continue to operate several 24-hour routes throughout D.C.
During daytime hours, trains arrive every 4–6 minutes at most central stations, with service every 8–12 minutes at stations further out.
“Washington D.C. is a city of major international events and WorldPride is no different,” said Metro General Manager Randy Clarke. “Metro is the best way to get around, and we are making it even easier with a new seamless way to pay for fares coming soon, our new MetroPulse app to help navigate the system, and increased service on WorldPride’s closing weekend.”
One of the biggest updates ahead of WorldPride is the launch of Metro’s new “Tap. Ride. Go.” fare payment system. Beginning Wednesday, riders can enter the Metrorail system simply by tapping a credit card, debit card, or mobile wallet at fare gates — eliminating the need to purchase a physical SmarTrip card. Riders must use the same card to tap in and out, and should note that transfer discounts will not apply when using this payment method. The feature will expand to Metrobus and Metro-operated parking facilities at a later date.
For full details on all Metro updates related to WorldPride, visit wmata.com.
Opinions
A WorldPride call to action
Lavender Interfaith Collective united for justice, liberation, joy, and love
Across faiths, identities, and nations, we are united by one unshakable truth: every person is worthy, every voice sacred, every body divine. Our unity is not rooted in a single tradition but in a collective belief in the sacred worth of every person. We uphold the fundamental principle of religious freedom, recognizing that no faith should dictate the governance of our nation. We reject all attempts to impose religious values, symbols, or authority upon our shared civic life, united in our commitment to a society where all traditions — and those who follow none — are equally respected. In the face of forces that seek to divide, erase, and harm, we unite as one — rooted in justice, driven by love, and committed to a future where liberation is not just an ideal but a lived reality.
We call upon all to embrace joy as resistance — to dance, to celebrate, to laugh, to live loudly. In a world that weaponizes despair, joy is our defiance. It is our fuel, our sustenance, and our reminder that liberation is not just survival — it is thriving.
We call upon the LGBTIQ+ community to embrace the common ground that unites us in the fight for dignity and liberation. Though our experiences and identities vary, we share a sacred commitment to intersectional justice. We will not be divided by differences; instead, we will center solidarity, knowing that our shared struggle is our greatest strength.
We call upon people of faith across the globe to join in radical solidarity — not just in the United States, but across borders, traditions, and languages. Justice is not bound by geography; neither is our love, resistance, or advocacy. Let faith be the force that binds us together, not the tool that tears us apart.
We call upon faith communities to be places of compassion, healing, and activism — spaces that do not merely welcome but actively uplift, renew, and give witness to inclusion and intersectional justice. Let our faith be evident in the way we fight for each other, hold space for each other, and refuse to leave anyone behind.
We call upon faith leaders to unite in advocacy and pastoral care, challenging their communities to make visible the lives of those under attack, and providing education on trans and nonbinary realities, human sexuality, nonviolent social change, and the systems that increase vulnerabilities to harm and violence. Knowledge is power, understanding is liberation, and faith must never be a tool for harm — it must be a beacon of transformation.
We call upon faith leaders to amplify trans theologians. Their voices, wisdom, and spiritual insights must not remain in the shadows. Let pulpits, platforms, and sacred spaces be filled with trans-theological perspectives, ensuring that faith itself becomes a force of liberation. With care and consent, we commit to sharing their work, making sure their voices reach the wider faith community.
We call upon advocates to join in solidarity — bearing each other’s burdens not with judgment, but with grace. Intersectional justice demands action against homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, ableism, racism, white supremacy, any religious nationalism, and every system of oppression. We must reject policies that strip our communities of essential services, including gender affirming care, HIV, reproductive health, and other programs addressing public health, medical research, housing, education, and services for persons with disabilities. Justice is not selective; it is intersectional. We cannot be free until we all are.
We call upon all people of conscience to hold elected officials to account that they defend the Constitution, oppose self-dealing by public officials, resist transactional, market-driven approaches that dismantle collaborative spaces and institutions, and uphold the inherent dignity of every human being. No exceptions. No compromises. Let us rise up against the forces that weaken democracy and erode our shared humanity.
We call upon the world to reimagine love as revolutionary and decolonizing — to see faith, justice, and neighborliness through a lens that liberates rather than oppresses. Let us honor the activism, resistance, and resilience that drive change. And let us refuse narratives of powerlessness. We are not powerless. We are powerful beyond measure. It is an imperative to protect, uplift, and fight for our neighbors everywhere.
Above all, we call for self-care — for the nourishment that sustains movements, the rest that strengthens resistance, and the healing that ensures we do not lose ourselves in the fight for liberation.
This is the charge. This is the sacred work.
We are boldly, unapologetically, and unshakably committed to collective liberation. Together, unstoppable, and unafraid.
More information about the Lavender Interfaith Collective can be found here.
The city of Rehoboth Beach in Delaware will host a public ceremony to commemorate the beginning of Pride month.
The event includes a proclamation and flag-raising ceremony outside of city hall at 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 1. The LGBTQ Pride flag will be flown during the month of June.
Rehoboth Beach is known for being an LGBTQ-friendly resort town. The year-round population of about 1,500 residents swells in the summer months, reaching more than 25,000, according to Travel US News.
“Rehoboth Beach is home to a vibrant LGBTQ+ community, which greatly contributes to the social and economic vitality as well as the character of our city,” Mayor Stan Mills said in a press release. “The City of Rehoboth Beach strives to foster diversity among its residents and visitors and to be a welcoming community to all.”
Rehoboth Beach Pride is scheduled for July 16-20.
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