Michigan hair salon Studio 8 turns away trans clients, limiting service for LGBTQ patrons

Nour Rahal and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK
Updated ·4 min read
23

Less than two weeks after the nation's high court ruled a Colorado website designer could refuse to make wedding websites for same-sex couples, a Michigan hair salon says it is refusing to serve some LGBTQ people.

The salon, Studio 8 Hair Lab in Traverse City in the northwestern part of the state, announced on social media it will no longer serve clients who identify "as anything other than a man/woman," and made derogatory comments about transgender people.

The salon's Instagram page, now set to private, says it is "A private CONSERVATIVE business that does not cater to woke ideologies."

"You are not welcome at this salon. Period," the salon wrote in a now deleted Facebook post. "Should you request to have a particular pronoun used please note we may simply refer to you as 'hey you.'"

The salon's owner did not respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY or the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. Christine Geiger, identified as a co-owner of the salon on LinkedIn, said in a Facebook comment reviewed by USA TODAY that she has "no issues" with lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

"It's the TQ+ that I'm not going to support," she said, referring to transgender and queer or questioning people. The comment, posted in a local Facebook group, used language often repeated by far-right conspiracy theorists to paint LGBTQ people as "groomers" dangerous to young people.

The salon is facing backlash from community members and social media users after screenshots of its posts were shared widely. A slew of negative reviews tanked the salon's rating on Google.

'Breathtaking hate': Community responds to posts

Michigan state Rep. Betsy Coffia, a Democrat, denounced the salon's posts as "breathtaking hate and bigotry."

"It is also dangerous because it dehumanizes fellow Michiganders at a time when violence against LGBTQ+ residents simply for who they are is already on the rise," Coffia said.

In an email to the Free Press, Jocelyn Link, a chairperson at Polestar LGBTQ+ Community Center in Traverse City, said Studio 8 Hair Lab's comments undermine the town's efforts to make the community "the absolute best that it can be."

"Hate has shown time and time again to be a losing business strategy and we must not allow this blight to take root in our town," Link said. "Traverse City has a vibrant and thriving queer community thanks in part to our many allies and queer friendly businesses."

Comments come after Supreme Court ruling

Geiger, the salon co-owner, told local outlet 9 & 10 News that she is taking a stand against legislation recently passed by Michigan legislators seeking to expand the state's hate crime law to protect gender identity and sexual orientation.

The state passed a law in 1976 that bans firing someone, evicting them or otherwise discriminating against them because they are a member of the LGBTQ community.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a Denver-based web designer who refused to create websites for same-sex weddings, arguing that it would violate her religious beliefs and right to free speech. The court's findings in the Colorado case have significant implications for when businesses can refuse service to customers. The court ruled the business can decline to make a product that carries a message supporting LGBTQ people.

The specific implications of that decision will "no doubt be hashed out in court," said Elizabeth Reiner Platt, director of the Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Columbia Law School.

"(A) haircut should be considered beyond the scope of the decision, which applied only to businesses that are 'expressive in nature' and designed 'to communicate a particular message,'" she told USA TODAY.

Hair product line drops salon owner

Geiger is no longer allowed to affiliate with a hair product line that she regularly used, promoted, and sold at her salon, Jack Winn Pro announced in a statement posted to social media. The hair product company said it is committed to supporting the rights of LGBTQ people.

"We want to make it clear that we disapprove of and reject hate speech in any form. Such actions go against the very values we hold dear and strive to uphold," the statement reads. "The stylist who made those comments no longer has authorization to represent our brand or products."

Contributing: John Fritze, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Studio 8 Hair Lab in Traverse City Michigan refusing trans clients