For Kelly Hensley — identified by the moniker “Kelly the Barber” to many within the South Bay’s queer group — there was one thing lacking at each salon or barber store for which he’s labored.
When he went out on his personal six years in the past, he was lastly in a position to establish it: a protected house for his purchasers, lots of whom had been misgendered by different stylists. Hensley, who got here out as transgender in 2020, has constructed his enterprise on offering gender-affirming haircuts, together with a dose of empathy, consolation and kindness.
After two years of chopping hair in his dwelling, Hensley lastly opened his personal place, Pork Chop’s Home of Reframe, in Could. Positioned in downtown San Jose’s SoFA district, he desires the barber store to supply extra than simply haircuts — he desires it additionally to be an area for the LGBTQ+ group to attach and entry assets.
With Delight Month in full swing, this information group just lately interview Hensley to study extra about his plans and the way his personal private journey has impressed his work. This interview has been edited for readability and lenght.
Q: How did you get into chopping hair?
A: My very first hair minimize that I can bear in mind is shaving my finest pal’s hair rising up and never telling his mother and getting in hassle for it. However I fell in love with the act of hair chopping. I grew to become a cosmetologist earlier than I used to be a barber, and that was in my late 20s solely after I had a brief stint as a wilderness information in my early 20s.
I began my profession doing primarily lengthy hair in San Francisco, though I needed to learn to do hair for everybody. I ended doing hair shade to concentrate on hair chopping as a result of I consider it as sculpting and I’m a really tactile individual and I like to contemplate myself an artist.
Truthfully I really like what I do. I do a barbering service, so it’s not a full styling course of, not an in depth blow dry or shampoo, and I don’t must promote product as a result of I don’t essentially imagine that there’s anyone proper product to make use of. Our ancestors who got here earlier than us didn’t use L’Oréal merchandise and so they survived simply superb. I give strategies, in fact, and finally I’d carry some product in my store, however it’s onerous for me to subscribe to anyone proper means for the variables that’s human hair and styling.
Q: How did you choose the identify Pork Chop’s Home of Reframe?
A: After I was a child rising up I used to play deal with soccer and I used to be very tomboyish. The youngsters within the neighborhood gave me the unlucky nickname of pork chop, and I hated it as a result of they had been making enjoyable of my weight. Going by way of a gazillion years of my very own private remedy and my very own expertise, I’m beginning to perceive the significance of reframing issues. Equally how the phrase “queer” was as soon as meant for hurt for the LGBTQ+ group, now we embrace it and use it as an empowering assertion.
Pork Chop’s Home of Reframe for my part simply represents resilience and flipping somebody’s disgrace into extra of a power. It’s what we do there, particularly working with the trans group and gender-curious individuals desirous to get a drastically completely different haircut than they’ve ever had earlier than — perhaps a haircut that different individuals of their life don’t need them to have. The reframe is: what if the haircut you need for your self is nice? What if it’s really an affirming factor?
Q: What’s a “gender-affirming haircut?”
A: A gender-affirming service is to listen to somebody say “I want to have a haircut that usually men have, but I wasn’t born a man,” after which we are saying “Yep, I got you” as an alternative of claiming “oh no, I don’t know if that will look good.” To affirm is simply to provide an individual what they’re wanting, asking inquiries to get you there however not asking questions in regards to the why, as a result of that in the long term shouldn’t be essential. What’s essential is how do I check with them and what do they hope with their haircut?
Each single haircut I ask my consumer, “Is this feeling okay?” As a result of the very first thing you don’t need is an uncomfortable consumer as a result of they’re being strangled by the smock, and what in the event that they’re not going to say something? It’s offering a service, ensuring they really feel snug within the chair and likewise hoping they really feel empowered to ask for issues that they need, particularly if it entails going shorter with their haircut.
Q: What’s your imaginative and prescient for Pork Chop’s Home of Reframe past simply providing haircuts?
A: I hope to proceed to remain within the community-building side of issues. I hope to make use of the store for after-hours peer-led assist teams — particularly within the LGBTQ+ group connecting mother and father with different mother and father, educators with different educators, trans individuals with different trans individuals, simply to have that group assist. Individually, I’m speaking in regards to the need to attach with different individuals and if I’ve the place for it then why not assist individuals join and construct group? I need to additionally assist join individuals with assets which may assist them in supportive methods of their lives as a queer individual.
Q: How has your personal journey impressed Pork Chop’s Home of Reframe?
A: I got here out as trans in 2020; I grew up Evangelical Christian, and my household didn’t take it very nicely in any respect. They requested me to not come round for the vacations, and that was the primary time in my grownup life I actually skilled a significant rejection. On the time I additionally had a wedding dissolve and it was actually onerous to really feel like I used to be staying afloat both emotionally or mentally and even communally, as a result of I used to be so concerned and invested in my earlier relationship. Then rapidly, I felt like I didn’t have anybody.
I’ve chosen all through all of this to maintain on working, due to course it’s what pays the payments, but in addition I’ve realized that that is really the roots that I’ve craved in my life — particularly now that I’m 41. I’ve hoped for group, I’ve hoped for roots and now that I’ve been chopping hair within the South Bay since 2017, that the factor that I’ve hoped for is definitely blossoming, I get to have the very best “family” that I’ve by no means had. It’s a heat, comforting household that’s hopefully non-judgmental but in addition foolish and grounded and vigorous and heat — affirming, if you’ll. So many people queer individuals are left floating out within the universe and I hope to make use of my expertise of feeling that means and use my empathy to offer some form of route or anchor or feeling affirmed it doesn’t matter what, even when it’s a excessive 5.
KELLY HENSLEY PROFILE
Firm: Pork Chop’s Home of Reframe
Occupation: Barber
Age: 41
Hometown: Half Moon Bay
Present Metropolis: San Jose
FIVE FACTS ABOUT KELLY HENSLEY
1) Has a canine named “Norma Grace From Outer Space”
2) Likes to camp, and be outside.
3) His favourite exercise is swimming.
4) Biking is his second favourite exercise.
5) Kelly cuts many, many mullets in per week.
