Michigan Salon Owner Refuses to Serve LGBTQ+ Community Because of ‘Pedophiles’
Some members of the LGBTQ+ community have been banned from a hair salon in Michigan in a breathtaking display of ignorance and bigotry.
The owner of Studio 8 Hair Lab, Christine Geiger, said in a Facebook post that she is exercising her right to free speech by refusing specific customers her services. She also compared gender-diverse people to animals, The Kansas City Star reports.
“If a human identifies as anything other than a man/woman, please seek services at a local pet groomer,” urged the hair salon owner. “You are not welcome at this salon. Period.”
The salon’s Facebook page was later deleted, and its Instagram profile was set to private. A description of the business on Instagram says it is “A private CONSERVATIVE business that does not cater to woke ideologies.”
A few days earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a web designer was protected under the First Amendment from building a website for same-sex marriages if she refused to do so based on her beliefs.
“We are not bound to any oaths as realtors are regarding discrimination,” Geiger’s post on the salon’s page noted.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill in March that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Geiger, who mocked Whitmer in the post, expanded on her bigotry in a comment on a Facebook post in the Overheard in Traverse City group.
“I have no issues with LGB,” she wrote. “It’s the TQ+ that I’m not going to support.”
She continued, “For those that don’t know what the + is for, it’s for MAP (Minor Attracted Person aka: pedophile).”
That's not true and is simply a right-wing conspiracy theory. The plus symbol in LGBTQ+ does not stand for minor attracted person.
The LGBTQ+ acronym is an inclusive term for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and “plus,” which includes pansexual, asexual, intersex, two-spirit, and omnisexual sexual identities. As an umbrella term, queer refers to the community of people who do not identify as straight or cisgender and can also be used to describe someone's non-heterosexual sexual orientation.
Geiger explained that she’s taken this stance to “ensure 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,” her salon isn’t a place for those with diverse backgrounds.
“This is a free country and I am not a slave to any narrative,” Geiger concluded while hoping that “more of you will see this and be inspired to stand up tall and speak your own truths and not simply let them be.”
Facebook users did not hold back in response to Geiger’s ignorant comments.
“I’m speechless with how ridiculous your comment is right now. Please, for the sake of yourself and others, go educate yourself,” wrote one person.
“I am BEGGING YOU to PLEASE read a book and turn off Fox News,” wrote another.
“For the love of all things, turn off the t.v, get off of YouTube and educate yourself. Spreading hate & gross misinformation is not a good look, girl,” responded somebody else.
On Wednesday, the press secretary for Michigan’s attorney general, Dana Nessel, addressed the expressed bigotry in remarks to The Advocate.
Her office has received several complaints about Geiger’s explicit statements, Danny Wimmer said.
The actions which Geiger previewed would be illegal according to Michigan’s recently amended civil rights law, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which includes protections for LGBTQ+ people.
“The Department and the Attorney General herself are aware of the Traverse City salon proprietor’s professed intent to discriminate against Michigan residents,” Wimmer added, noting, “The Department of Attorney General will continue to fight to protect the equal rights of all Michiganders.”
