Michigan Division of Civil Rights receives complaints about Traverse Metropolis salon

The Michigan Division of Civil Rights (MDCR) has obtained complaints concerning Studio 8 Hair Lab, a Traverse Metropolis salon that confronted backlash after its proprietor, Christine Geiger, made anti-transgender remarks in a now-deleted Fb publish. 

Vicki Levengood, MDCR communications director, confirmed that 12 formal complaints have been lodged in opposition to Geiger and her salon. 

Levengood mentioned in an electronic mail to the Michigan Advance that the complaints are within the early phases of the division’s course of for investigating illegal discrimination. 

‘Welcoming folks exist right here’: Traverse Metropolis reacts to anti-trans salon coverage 

“All of the complaints are in consumption and being evaluated to find out in the event that they meet the necessities for an investigation,” Levengood mentioned.

In keeping with the Division’s tips on civil rights complaints, if the grievance is authorised for an investigation, the events concerned would meet with MDRC officers to find out an consequence based mostly on testimony and bodily proof. 

“Throughout an investigation, the claimant and the respondent each have the chance to current proof,” the rules state. “The investigation may additionally embrace a web site go to, interviews with witnesses and evaluation of paperwork.”

In Geiger’s case, an investigation would probably embrace evaluation of the unique publish the place she pledged to disclaim service to anybody who “identifies as something apart from man/lady,” in addition to Fb feedback doubling down on her stance. 

Within the aftermath of Geiger’s first publish, Studio 8 social media pages have been privatized and the salon’s Instagram bio was modified to establish it as a “non-public CONSERVATIVE enterprise that doesn’t cater to woke ideologies.” 

Studio 8 is presently dealing with a possible investigation from Traverse Metropolis’s metropolis legal professional for doable violation of a non-discrimination ordinance. Michigan Legal professional Common Dana Nessel has mentioned she’s monitoring the scenario, which may put Geiger in further violation of the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.