Fighting transphobia with looks
Each year, more Lgbtqowned entrepreneurs and allies are advertising as such, and research shows that their businesses are thriving.
In L.A., LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs contribute around $1.24 billion in funding, according to the latest State of LGBTQ Entrepreneurship report from nonprofit Startout, which supports LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs.
Providing gender-affirming services not only creates safe, inclusive spaces, they can also drive the economy and are overall beneficial for LGBTQ+ communities.
But some stylists shared their experiences with hatred.
Longtime stylist Jessie Santiago has experienced incidents of homophobia, racism and transphobia at her business, Salon Benders near downtown Long Beach. The salon has been targeted repeatedly with hate mail and vandalism, Santiago said.
“For the past five years, we have been infiltrated by a ton of hate. I’ve had restraining orders put out against people. I’ve had to basically keep my doors locked during business hours at all times,” Santiago, 40, said.
“It’s just gotten to the point that I just don’t feel safe anymore.”
With Salon Benders, Santiago always wanted to provide a safe and “revolutionary” space for queer, trans and gender-nonconforming people in her community. She identifies as queer and has a trans partner.
In October, Santiago closed Salon Benders for security reasons. She plans to open a new private salon, the Benders Collective Art Studio, in Long Beach before 2024. She also hopes to start a podcast where participating clients can share their experiences and stories while getting their hair done.
One of the things that Santiago felt made her business stand out was the salon’s consultation style and “trauma-informed” approach, created with the help of a trained and licensed trauma therapist. Providing gender-affirming haircuts was something she focused on in her salon and required from all her stylists.
“It involves understanding the person holistically, not just their hair,” she said. “It has to do with understanding what their gender identity is, and how we could help support that through their hair and wellness. It’s not just asking clients for a photo of what they want.”
Gender-affirming haircuts was something she prioritized in her business.
“Providing affirmation as a person is so incredibly important, especially to younger folks because they need to see themselves reflected in this world,” Santiago said. “For us, it was just really important to create more representation, more reflection of our community out in the world.”
Here are salons and resources in Southern California that provide genderaffirming haircare and services. They include:
Gray Area:
Bishops Cuts/color:
Studio Cru:
Benders Collective Art Studio:
Beuti 4 Ashes:
Strandsfortrans.org:
Projectq:
Bang Bang L.A.:
Staff writers Beau Yarbrough and Allyson Vergara contributed to this report.