Table Of Content
- Michigan hair salon Studio 8 turns away trans clients, limiting service for LGBTQ patrons
- Michigan Civil Rights Commission to Meet in Kalamazoo on Monday, April 29
- Former California State Parks employee seeks $4 million in discrimination lawsuit
- New push to reform Michigan corporate subsidies, this time from Republicans
In June, the Supreme Court ruled by a 6-3 majority that a Colorado graphic designer is within her rights to deny service to same-sex couples seeking wedding websites because it would have compelled her to promote messages that contradict her religious beliefs. Supreme Court decision in the 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, in which a Colorado-based web designer argued her state’s anti-discrimination law would compel her to create wedding websites for same sex-couples – something she disagreed with, citing her faith. "(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. The salon is facing backlash from community members and social media users after screenshots of its posts were shared widely. Penalties, according to the complaint, could include monetary compensation for the claimants’ emotional distress and mental anguish sustained by the discrimination.
Michigan hair salon Studio 8 turns away trans clients, limiting service for LGBTQ patrons
The bill Geiger intended to reference is likely HB 4474, which seeks to expand Michigan's hate crime law to protect gender identity and sexual orientation. Misinformation has spread online, falsely claiming that the bill criminalizes the use of incorrect pronouns. It does note that there could be civil action against someone who discriminates against another for gender identity or expression, though this could apply to both transgender and cisgender people alike.
Michigan Civil Rights Commission to Meet in Kalamazoo on Monday, April 29
Geiger's business is currently under investigation by the City of Traverse City, to determine if she is in violation of the city's non-discrimination ordinance. In the original Facebook post, Geiger inaccurately referenced House Bill 4744 while expressing the salon's refusal to acknowledge preferred pronouns. Hair product manufacturer Jack Winn Pro publicly distanced itself from Geiger's remarks, while expressing its unwavering support for LGBTQ+ rights. None of them were denied service in Studio 8, so now we’re in a pure speech category,” David Delaney, the attorney for Studio 8 Hair Lab, said. “This stance was taken to insure [sic] 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,” she wrote.
Former California State Parks employee seeks $4 million in discrimination lawsuit
By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Late last month multiple outlets, including Fox News and the Daily Mail, ran stories arguing the legislation would make it a felony to use the wrong pronouns for someone, despite the fact the word “pronouns” appears nowhere in the bill. The meeting agenda will be posted on the Michigan Department of Civil Rights website at Michigan.gov/MDCR. Large groups protested outside Studio 8 following those posts and the City of Traverse City launched its own investigation.
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MDCR officials said that the charge is one of unlawful advertisement, not free speech. According to the charge, even though Geiger didn’t physically remove someone from her salon based on their gender identity, the posts she made still negatively impacted LGBTQ+ members of the community. Geiger filed her own complaint against the city of Traverse City and the three individuals on Oct. 25. The complaint, according to MLive, accuses the city and three of its residents of violating the salon’s 1st Amendment rights for filing civil rights complaints.
The business has since deleted its Facebook page, though an image of the initial post can still be found online. Now legal experts say that not only is the business misinterpreting a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the topic to refuse service, but that it may be running afoul of discrimination protections in Michigan.
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Cisgender is a term to describe a person whose gender aligns with the sex they were registered as at birth. In March, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law an amendment to law that includes sexual orientation and gender expression as a protection. 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.
State lawmakers codified that ruling into law earlier this year, though as the bill did not receive immediate effect, it’s not currently able to be enforced. Supreme Court decision along 6-3 partisan lines that ruled a Colorado website designer could not be compelled to create wedding websites for LGBTQ+ couples. The ruling, which was relatively narrow, determined the website designer was creating customized speech and was protected on First Amendment grounds. In a Time magazine article in July, legal experts said the case should not be interpreted to mean other businesses can engage in discrimination – and specifically cited Studio 8, which made national headlines this summer, as an example. However, they predicted the Supreme Court case would encourage more lawsuits seeking to exempt a wider range of businesses from anti-discrimination laws on free speech or religious grounds. Studio 8 owner Christine Geiger did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday left through the salon’s phone, email, and social media accounts.
Salon faces backlash after barring transgender people - Business Insider
Salon faces backlash after barring transgender people.
Posted: Mon, 17 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Traverse City salon fallout: Hair product line drops salon after anti-transgender post
The recommendation will then go before Michigan’s Civil Rights Commission to either adopt or make their own ruling. The Department of Civil Rights investigates and resolves discrimination complaints and works to prevent discrimination through educational programs that promote voluntary compliance with civil rights laws. HB 4744 pertains to the establishment and maintenance of a qualified voter file.
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. 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.
"Jack Winn Pro strongly believes in and supports LGBTQ+ rights. We are committed to creating an inclusive, respectful environment for all - regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristics that define who they are," the post said. "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 next step for the Studio 8 case will be awaiting a hearing before an administrative law judge.
In response, the salon's Google and Yelp pages have been flooded with negative reviews. The bio for Studio 8's now-private Instagram account called itself "A private CONSERVATIVE business that does not cater to woke ideologies." "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 Civil Rights Department says this case is not about free speech because Studio 8 violated the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights act. The act prevents discrimination based on religion, race or color, and the department says Geiger advertised unlawful discrimination. Back in July, the owner of Studio 8 Hair Lab, Christine Geiger, posted on Facebook that anyone who identifies other than male or female needs to get serviced at a pet groomer. The State Department of Civil Rights has now charged her with discrimination for that post. We reached out to the city to get their reaction, but because a lawsuit has been filed against the city they declined to comment. That is a red herring designed to grab and divert our attention away from the real violations of law and Christine Geiger’s responsibilities under law,” John Jonson, the executive director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, said.
The court later ruled in her favor, noting that her designs constituted a form of speech and that forcing her to design a website which ran afoul of her faith could stifle her First Amendment rights. Geiger’s case prompted a rebuke from hair product manufacturer Jack Winn Pro, which announced the salon can no longer use its products. It is not a case that relies on complex legal concepts or requires expansive or convoluted arguments to explain,” said John Johnson Jr., director of the department. That post suggested that anyone who identifies as anything other than a man or woman should see a pet groomer and that service from Studio 8 would be denied to them.
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