A Michigan hairdressing business has come under fire after they posted an announcement declaring they would no longer serve some members of the LGBTIQA+ communities.
““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.” owner Christine Geiger announced online.
The salon owner said if any customers requested a particular pronoun her staff had been instructed to address them as “hey you”. The business owner said she was expressing her right to free speech and taking a stand against the state’s antidiscrimination laws.
In a further online discussion, the salon owner said she had no objection to gay, lesbian and bisexual people being served at her business, but said she was opposed to the “TQ+” section of the acronym. Geiger said it was her belief that the plus symbol stood for “minor attracted person aka: pedophiles.”
Her declaration follows a decision by the US Supreme Court that found a Colorado website designer should be allowed to turn away same-sex couples on the basis of her religious beliefs. Oddly, the court found in favour of the business despite there being no evidence that anyone had ever asked them to make a wedding website for a same-sex marriage.
While the statement has been condemned on a global level, it’s also got the attention of the state’s Attorney-General with her staff saying they were aware of the situation.
““At the Department, we have received several complaints pertaining to the bigotry exhibited by the salon proprietor in Traverse City, and the Attorney General finds the comments to be hateful, reprehensible remarks that seek only to marginalize a community already suffering from discriminatory animus in Michigan and elsewhere,” a spokesperson for AG Dana Nessel said.
In March Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill that expanded the state’s antidiscrimination laws to include sexuality and gender to the list of protected attributes.
Speaking to The Advocate Erin Knott from local rights group Equality Michigan said at least the local community would know to avoid the business.
“I guess I’m grateful when business owners out themselves as bigots,” Knott said. “Then we know where we should not invest our hard-earned dollars and resources.”
But also highlighted that the recent Supreme Court decision did not undermine the established state law that protects people from discrimination.
Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg also shared his thoughts on the incident. Chasten Buttigieg is originally from Traverse City, where the salon is located.
“This is the kind of full-throated bigotry and ignorance many advocates and leaders have been warning would become more mainstream due to the rapid increase in homophobia and transphobia in the GOP,” he said in a post on Twitter. “America should be moving forward, not backward. There are real problems to solve.”
OIP Staff, stock image.
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