LOS ANGELES -- For the first time in 10 years, Kameron Hendricks sat in a salon chair to get a haircut. His hairstylist peppered him with questions — what products did he use? Did he co-wash? How often? Does he put his hair up?
He'd had hairstylists refuse to give him a short haircut before. And barbershops geared toward male haircuts make him uncomfortable. But on a sweltering Thursday afternoon, Hendricks was ready to try again at Salon Benders in Long Beach, which is known for its gender-neutral and inclusive approach.
The 25-year-old college student is half Black, half Mexican and was assigned female at birth. Although long hair is expected of women in his family, he said, he never connected with the "feminine symbol." He had all but given up finding a stylist he could trust to make him look like the person he wanted to be, not who he was told to be.
