Michigan Salon Calls Trans Folks Pets, Refuses Service, Cites SCOTUS

So let’s talk about the Supreme Court, creative expression, civility, and the politics of hatred

Images licensed from Adobe Stock and combined into a collage by author

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.

— Christine Geiger, Studio 8 Hair Lab, Traverse City, Michigan

Why is a small business owner in my region of Michigan comparing transgender people to animals? Why has she told trans people she won’t serve them at her hair salon in the resort town of Traverse City? Does she have that legal right, as she asserts? Also, is it true that if she didn’t honor a trans person’s preferred pronouns that she could be charged with a hate crime?

She seems to think so, and she’s angry! Angry, and so very, very spiteful.

These questions are prompted by a whole lot of dehumanization, baseless rumor, and big misunderstandings of a recent Supreme Court case and Michigan civil rights law. Let’s dive in!

First, the basic facts:

Early this month, in a Facebook post that has since been made private, Studio 8 Hair Lab owner Christine Geiger apparently announced that she will not serve transgender…