Comedian and influencer Norman Freeman got dealt an unexpected blow this week when a business owner appeared to decline to sell him a wig because he's gay.
According to screenshots Freeman shared to X and Instagram on Thursday, he initially sent a message to the account @anointedfromthetop praising a video she had posted of a wig and asking whether it was a blend.
Rather than respond to his actual question, the business owner immediately pointed out that she's a "Christian hairstylist and I dedicate my work to the Lord" and said that, because of that, she wouldn't "be able to complete this particular hairstyle for you."
Although she never explicitly mentioned the fact that Freeman is gay, or even thought to ask why he might want the wig, she went on a very lengthy, preachy rant about how "we are all sinners" and that she has "to be careful not to promote or take part in anything that goes against His will."
The whole thing is far too familiar to anyone who has dealt with bigotry wrapped up in the pretense of "Christian love." The business owner repeatedly insisted she wasn't discriminating or judging, shifted the responsibility for her bigotry onto the will of God, and even had the audacity to tell Freeman that God will "give you peace and healing from the pain and trauma that you've experienced" — that familiar refrain that if you're gay, there must be something broken inside of you. Never mind that it's often societal ignorance and religious bigotry that actually does the breaking.
What makes this particular situation even more absurd is that Freeman noted in an Instagram comment that @anointedfromthetop was actually following his page prior to him reaching out to her.
"My thing is..you were just watching me and scrolling through my page watching me sin all this time?" he joked.
Although the business owner didn't appear to address Freeman directly, she did make a post to her Instagram (prior to deleting her account) that made it clear she had seen the backlash happening online.
"I forgive everyone who is speaking negatively about me even speaking death over me (we rebuke that though) there's no hate towards anyone whatsoever and I can't tell who is purchasing or anything of that sort, but if there is something that I can do in my power. Then I will try my best to do it respectfully," she wrote. "I truly do love everyone and I pray for all you guys."
@anointedfromthetop/Instagram
In another post, she also doubled down on her insistence that she wasn't discriminating against anyone and insinuated that her refusal to sell a wig to a gay man is, in some way, sharing "that same love that rescued me."
@anointedfromthetop/Instagram
As polite as it all may be if you refuse to so much as glance at the actual content of what she's saying, this is, in fact, discrimination. Wrapping homophobia up in praise to Jesus or hollow declarations of love doesn't change the fact that queer people just want to live their lives like everyone else but still randomly get hit with bigotry and Bible verses when they're doing something as simple as trying to shop.
Fortunately, onlookers weren't so willing to let it all slide, frequently pointing out the hypocrisy of @anointedfromthetop's position, as well as her weaponization of religion.
"I don't think the Bible says anything about men buying wigs," @mitch.bronson wrote on one of her deleted posts.
"if you're going to not sell wigs to ppl you deem in a certain 'sin' i hope you're not eating meat, fornicating, listening to music of any kind, wearing makeup, wearing WIGS, wearing anything revealing, speaking a lot, lying, and i hope you don't sell to anyone who does anything the bible speaks of as sin, either, because you don't even truly practice the religion you preach," said @arijustari.
"Babe this entire video is giving jezebel spirit but off I guess," @muffie_in_bloom wrote on the post @anointedfromthetop seemingly made in response to the backlash. "You claim you're doing the lords work while posting clips of you showing off your body seductively. Your religion condemns that. They would stone women to death for it. You can't pick and choose which sin matters more."
Rather than address the backlash further, the business owner opted to delete her Instagram account. PRIDE, The Advocate's sibling publication owned by equalpride, has reached out to both her and Freeman for comment via email.
But in the meantime, X user @JUSTHERE1133 may have summed it all up best: "When believers learn that they can practice their religion without telling others they have to follow it… that’s when a lot of things will solve in the world."
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