No 'TQ+' Wanted at Michigan Hair Salon Says Owner in Hateful Rant

The fallout from the recent Supreme Court decision regarding a web designer refusing to take same-sex wedding clients resonated in a particularly ugly way this week when Michigan hair salon owner Christine Geiger "announced that her business Studio 8 would not serve transgender clients, comparing them to animals," reports Slate.com.

"If a human identifies as anything other than a man/woman please seek services at a local pet groomer," a Facebook post from Studio 8 Hair Lab read. "You are not welcome at this salon."

In reference to a Michigan hate crime law from March that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, the salon's owner added, "[kiss emoji] my ASS Governor Witchmere."

"In July 2022, Michigan's Supreme Court ruled in favor of expanding the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect members of the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination in employment, public accommodations, public services, housing and educational facilities," writes the Detroit Free Press. "However, on June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a Denver web designer who refused to create websites for same-sex weddings, citing that it violates her religious beliefs and First Amendment rights. The court's findings in the Colorado case have significant implications for when businesses can refuse service to customers."

Slate adds that the "post made it clear that the salon sees discrimination as condoned under a 'free speech' argument, just like the web designer. 'This small business has the right to refuse services,' the post read. 'We are not bound to any oaths as realtors are regarding discrimination.' The post was accompanied by the hashtag #takeastand."

The original post was taken down, as was the salon's Facebook page and Geiger's personal account. The salon's Instagram account was also made private. The salon is described on IG as "(a) private CONSERVATIVE business that does not cater to woke ideologies."

But some readers responded to Geiger's original post that was put on a community Facebook page, reposting it with comments to which she responded to with hateful rhetoric. "I have no issues with LGB. It's the TQ+ that I'm not going to support. For those that don't know what the + is for, it's for MAP (Minor Attracted Person aka: pedophile) This stance was taken to insure 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."

"Geiger's language mirrors the hateful rhetoric circulated by many right-wing politicians about trans people," points out Slate. "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is perhaps the politician with the highest profile to baselessly label LGBTQ+ people as 'groomers' both to attract national attention for his run for president and to cater to a hard-right base."