Also.Also.Also: I Bet the Haircuts This Transphobic Salon Owner Gives Are So Ugly

feature image by SBenitez via Getty Images


Queer as in F*ck You

Supreme Court’s Anti-LGBTQ Ruling Has Already Incited Discrimination. A hair salon in Traverse City, Michigan, which is not far from where my mother grew up, is explicitly forbidding anyone from seeking services at the salon who doesn’t identify as a man or a woman. Be warned: The language used by this bigoted salon owner that’s quoted in the piece is very queerphobic, transphobic, and full of harmful lies about the LGBTQ+ community. But the final paragraph is exquisite:

“While Geiger purports to have concern over the safety of children and stability of society, she herself has in the past actually and repeatedly flouted those concerns. In 2009, for instance, the hair salon owner was charged with third-offense drunken driving and second-offense operating a vehicle with a suspended license; records had shown her driving drunk twice the previous year. In 2021, 13,384 people died in drunk driving-related incidents. No one has died as a result of an LGBTQ person getting a haircut.”

Trans-Inclusive Barbie Photo Series: ‘The Parts Don’t Matter’.

This Is How I Navigate Pleasure As A Black Asexual Person.

These Students Are Switching Schools Based on the State’s Anti-LGBTQ Policies.

New Lesbian Bars Spark Hope Amid Disappearing LGBTQ+ Spaces.

Soccer Gays, let’s go: USWNT’s Kelley O’Hara on Her ‘Special’ Year Getting Engaged and Making Her 4th World Cup Team.

Brittani Nichols’ words on being nominated for an Emmy in the midst of the current Writers Strike are necessary reading:


Saw This, Thought of You

Doing the Work While Doing the Work. “How can social justice organizations prioritize mental health issues while finding ways for their staff and members to stay in solidarity with each other?”

What Does It Mean If You’re Dreaming About Being Chased? I’ve been loving The Cut‘s ongoing series about dream interpretation, which often taps Autostraddle contributor Autumn Fourkiller for expertise.

How the Negro Leagues Shaped Modern Baseball. The in-depth review of the new documentary The League knocks it out of the park.


Political Snacks

Liberal LA Has Become an Epicenter of Violent Culture Wars. Here’s How.

The Importance of Staying Angry at the Supreme Court.


One More Thing

What if I just start putting poems here?

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya is the managing editor of Autostraddle and a lesbian writer of essays, short stories, and pop culture criticism living in Orlando. She is the assistant managing editor of TriQuarterly, and her short stories appear or are forthcoming in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Joyland, Catapult, The Offing, and more. Some of her pop culture writing can be found at The A.V. Club, Vulture, The Cut, and others. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram and learn more about her work on her website.

Kayla has written 922 articles for us.

10 Comments

  1. “No one has died as a result of an LGBTQ person getting a haircut.” Although some of us LGBTQ people have thought we might after getting a haircut. Probably from salon owners with the same skill level as this one.

  2. I wanted so much more from the article “Doing the Work While Doing the Work”. The last two paragraphs are where all the juice is – but then the article is over :( I wish there was so much more space to have the conversation about what the balancing act looks like in practice over time.

  3. I had high expectations for the article titled “Doing the Work While Doing the Work,” hoping for a more comprehensive exploration. While the last two paragraphs hold valuable insights, I felt disappointed that the article ended abruptly. It left me yearning for an extended discussion on the practical aspects of balancing multiple responsibilities over an extended period of time.

  4. In a world that should be embracing diversity and inclusivity, there are still individuals who cling to outdated and harmful prejudices. The case of the hair salon owner in Traverse City, Michigan, who has explicitly forbidden service to anyone who doesn’t identify as a man or a woman, is a stark reminder of the discrimination that still persists against the LGBTQ+ community.

  5. The piece entitled “Doing the Work While Doing the Work” had great hopes, but its sudden ending left the reader disillusioned and wanting a more in-depth exploration of balancing many obligations over long periods.

  6. That sounds good that we are together in this universe but when we discuss that world is changing everyday it means we will also be changed after few years but I still hope that we will live long last.

Contribute to the conversation...

Yay! You've decided to leave a comment. That's fantastic. Please keep in mind that comments are moderated by the guidelines laid out in our comment policy. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation and thanks for stopping by!