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Michigan Couple Fights for Free Speech Rights After Anti-Trump, Pro-Trans Signs Spark Controversy
Citing property code, local authorities challenge vocal LGBTQ+ allies in Grosse Pointe
Konstantina Buhalis
Published: March 28, 2025 | Last Updated: April 1, 2025
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Facing potential legal penalties for exercising their First Amendment rights, Grosse Pointe Farms activists Chrisoula Pitses and Ian Seaman stand defiant as local authorities target their provocative lawn signs challenging transphobia and Trump rhetoric.
The couple's conflict with local authorities began in early March. According to Ian Seaman's account as told to Pride Source, on March 10, while standing with signs at a four-way stop, he encountered a Grosse Pointe Farms police officer who lives in Grosse Pointe Woods. After a brief exchange about drivers rolling through the stop sign, Seaman claims the officer became hostile, saying "Fuck you, I'll get Woods PD out here," before speeding off and giving him the middle finger. Later that day, police arrived and instructed Seaman to move his signs to private property, which he did.
What started as handwritten cardboard signs on their lawn in Grosse Pointe Farms — including one that posed a mocking question: "IS THE 'TRANS AGENDA' IN THE ROOM WITH US RIGHT NOW?" — quickly escalated into a series of confrontations with local officials.
By March 11-12, the displays expanded to include signs about controversial religious figures. One sign juxtaposed Catholic clergy with drag performers, with text reading "One group playing dress up has definitely hurt children."
During this period, the couple had multiple interactions with police officers regarding sign placement, first on public easements, then on trees and finally on their private property and vehicle. Seaman told Pride Source that on March 12, three police officers came to their front door and allegedly used profanity while demanding they remove signs stapled to trees on the easement. When Pitses identified herself as an attorney, the officers still refused to leave until the signs were removed.
On March 18, the couple received an official notice regarding their signs, which appeared to be backdated to their first interaction with authorities on March 10. The next day, March 19, Pitses and Seaman received an ordinance violation ticket from the Grosse Pointe Woods Department of Public Safety. Officials cited both the size of their lawn signs and their content as problematic, raising First Amendment questions since sign permits typically regulate only physical characteristics, not content.
Among their various displays was a sign challenging conservative hypocrisy by pointing out that "truck nuts" have faced minimal backlash despite their explicit nature, while discussions of transgender rights are deemed "inappropriate."
In a video recorded by Seaman, Grosse Pointe Police stated that the signs were inappropriate because their home is close to a school and families live nearby. They deemed the signs vulgar and demanded their removal.
According to Section 7.04 of the Grosse Pointe City Zoning Ordinance, yard signs must not exceed a combined 15 square feet and must be under 4 feet in height. The ordinance makes no explicit mention of content restrictions. Pitses and Seaman maintain their signs complied with the size requirements, though city officials indicated on their notice that residential signs are limited to 6 square feet.
When confronted about the signs, the couple moved them to their van. The city inspector, the couple reports, threatened to call law enforcement if the vehicle was transferred to the street. The couple expanded their protest by decorating the vehicle with orange lettering declaring "GPPD HATES FREE SPEECH" and "CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IS AMERICAN."
"It's American. It's part of our culture, every great advancement of freedoms has been fought for through civil disobedience, despite the power of the government being derived from the consent of the people," Seaman told Pride Source.