Traverse City is one of my favorite places in Michigan, where I live. It’s a small resort town in the northern part of the state that’s close to pristine lakes, sand dunes and wineries.
Yet its natural beauty wasn’t in the news recently. Instead, a controversy over a local salon owner’s comments on social media gained national attention.
Christine Geiger, who owns Studio 8 Hair Lab, wrote the following (now deleted) on the salon’s Facebook page this month: “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. Should you request to have a particular pronoun used please note we may simply refer to you as ‘hey you.’ ”
The post continued, “This is America; free speech. This small business has the right to refuse services.”
Conservatives, don’t pick unnecessary fights
I am a staunch defender of our First Amendment rights, and the right to free speech protects comments we find despicable – not just those we like. That’s why it exists.
But Geiger’s comments were over-the-top, cruel and a bad business decision.
And she didn’t post the statement on her personal social media page. She unleashed her rant on the business’ Facebook account.
Geiger has stood by what she wrote, telling The Associated Press that she just doesn’t “want the woke dollar,” and that she’d rather not be as busy than serve clients she fundamentally disagrees with. She may very well get her wish, given that at least one supplier has now refused to supply products to her business.
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Geiger also has attracted the attention of local and state Democratic politicians, who are eager to put Michigan’s recently expanded LGBTQ+ civil rights protections to use. Discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation is now explicitly prohibited, including at public accommodations.
The salon owner claims she has never denied service to anyone, regardless of their status. So, at this point, the controversy is about her comments only.
Michigan salon owner comments are very different from 303 Creative case
One of the things that is damaging about instances like this one is that it blurs the line between what could be illegal discrimination − if Geiger actually refuses to serve an LGBTQ+ customer – and a business owner’s protected First Amendment rights.
Much of the reporting on the Traverse City salon post has linked what the owner did with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that defended a Colorado website designer’s right to refuse to design sites for same-sex weddings – something that goes against her religious beliefs.
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These are fundamentally different cases, and business owners like Geiger, who say they are conservative, do a huge disservice to creative artists like Lorie Smith, the owner of 303 Creative, whose business was at the center of the court’s recent ruling.
The political left already paints Smith and other artists with religious convictions as bigots and is eager to lump all instances of discrimination together. Posts like Geiger’s give them ammunition to do that.
The Supreme Court, however, made sure to distinguish between public accommodation rights and the fundamental harm that could come from the government trying to compel – or prevent – speech, as was the case in 303 Creative.
The nation’s highest court found that designing a website is actual speech. But that’s certainly not the case with every business service.
Can’t we all just get along?
There have been several instances in the past year of conservatives being denied service at restaurants or being asked to leave, and I’ve called attention to them because it’s a form of discrimination.
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Conservatives shouldn’t be afraid to go out in public because of what they believe. Most civil rights ordinances don’t protect political ideology, however. Some do, like the city of Seattle, and other communities should look into it.
As culture wars heat up around the country, instances in which people are denied public accommodation because of their political and social opinions are likely to become more prevalent.
Most businesses must adhere to civil rights laws, and that’s a good thing.
If conservatives don’t like it when they’re treated as if they’re second-class citizens, then they should go out of their way not to do the same to others.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques
