Stylist LuJuana Woods, who has specialized in giving Black hairstyles and cuts for two decades, has long felt compelled to help those in the queer and transgender community look and feel their best selves.
“It makes a difference in how people feel, how they look at themselves,” Woods, an ally, said. “We’re a huge community, so why not do something for somebody else?”
Like Woods, many hair stylists and salons across Southern California are leading the charge in centering LGBTQ+, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people, at a time when these communities’ rights and gender-affirming care are being challenged nationwide.
Gender-affirming care — which includes medical care, mental health, social and even cosmetic services — can include any care or approach people get to transition themselves, and their bodies, to fit with their gender identity.
In 2023, states like Florida, Texas, and at least 15 others have passed laws that either restrict or outright ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth, and severely limit the rights of LGBTQ+ people, according to a tracking map by the Human Rights Campaign. At least 35% of transgender youth live in states that have passed bans on care. Over 70 anti-LGBTQ laws have been enacted this year; 15 of which banned gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Advocates hope people in these diverse communities know that there are resources available, especially if they are a person of color, queer or trans — groups that are historically underserved in health care and within the beauty industry, they say.
Woods, who owns her own salon in Loma Linda called BeUti 4 Ashes, took part in a recent event in the Inland Empire that provided free gender-affirming haircuts and styles for college students.
The second annual Queer Cuts, held at Cal State University San Bernardino on Oct. 18, brought in local stylists to provide gender-affirming haircare, in a safe environment, for free.
“I always say, ‘We always…
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