A Michigan hair salon is facing a discrimination charge over a social media post earlier this year that declared transgender customers were “not welcome” and instead should “seek services at a local pet groomer.”
In the charge filed on Wednesday, the state’s Department of Civil Rights claimed a July Facebook post made by Traverse City’s Studio 8 Hair Lab owner Christine Geiger violated the state’s civil rights act by unlawfully discriminating against three claimants.
“If a human identifies as anything other than a man/woman please seek services at a local pet groomer. You are not welcome at this salon. Period,” the post read.
“Should you request to have a particular pronoun used, please note we may simply refer to you as ‘hey you.’ Regardless of MI HB 4744,” the post further stated, referring to the code for a Michigan hate crime law.
The code was changed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, earlier this year to include discrimination against people based on their “gender identity or expression,” “sexual orientation,” as well as their age or disabilities.
The post garnered hundreds of comments and reactions, including significant pushback from LGBTQ+ advocates, before it was deleted.
Salon 8 Hair Lab could face fines and suspension or revocation of its business license if the charge is adopted by the Michigan Civil Rights Commission after a hearing before an administrative law judge.
The salon owner filed her own complaint against the city of Traverse City and the three individuals on Oct. 25, accusing each of violating the salon’s First Amendment rights for filing civil rights complaints.
Traverse City over the summer announced the salon was under investigation for discrimination over the claims.
After deleting the post, Geiger clarified on a different Facebook page that she has “no issues with LGB,” referring to lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
She went on to add: “It’s the TQ+ that I’m not going to support,” referring to transsexual, queer and people of other sexual orientations.
Geiger then allegedly falsely claimed the “+” represented pedophiles.
“This stance was taken to insure [sic] that clients have the best experience and I am admitting that since I am not willing to play the pronoun game or cater to requests outside of what I perceive as normal this probably isn’t the best option for that type of client,” she wrote.
In a July interview with the Associated Press, Geiger defended her stance, saying small business owners should be able to serve whomever they wish.
“I just don’t want the woke dollar. … I’d rather not be as busy than to have to do services that I don’t agree with,” she said.
Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public services based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status or marital status.
While the state’s Civil Rights Act was amended earlier this year to add greater protections over sexual orientation and gender identity, the legislation will not take effect until February 2024.
Until it goes into effect, the Department of Civil Rights will be taking complaints and have jurisdiction under sex for both sexual orientation as well as gender identity or expression under case law, officials said.
With Post wires.