A transgender man said he spent his youth being refused short haircuts by hairdressers due to his perceived sex.
Chace-Jordan Rowlands, 44, said he was constantly turned away from both salons and barbershops at the beginning of his transition, as women's salons were reluctant to cut his long hair and barbers refused to cut "women's hair".
He is now offering free haircuts to trans and non-binary people who may have faced similar struggles in the past.
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He said: "When speaking to other trans people, haircuts are a big issue. People haven't got the confidence to go into a barbershop or salon, and when they do they get turned away, and I thought this shouldn't be happening now, and I thought it was time to do something about it.
"I don't think haircuts should be gendered. If a lad comes in with long hair, if a girl comes in and wants a zero, that should be fine - I don't understand the whole process of declining a customer based on gender. It shouldn't matter how they identify. If it's a haircut you can do, do it."
Chace, who lives in Birkenhead, came out as transgender at the age of 35, after years of self-hatred which he previously struggled to understand. After suffering an injury while working as a plasterer, he retrained as a barber at the The City of Liverpool College, with dreams of one day opening his own LGBT+ inclusive salon.
He said: "A haircut can be really confirming. It can really give people that boost of confidence they need. Sometimes, in the early transitioning period, your mental health is poor and getting turned away from a barber or salon because they don't see you as who you really are can be painful. Sometimes it's just nice to know that somebody is there for you.
"Ever since I was a young teenager, I've always had short hair, and I was tomboyish before I came out. The number of times I went to a hairdressers and they would refuse to cut it short or refuse to cut it altogether are too many to count.
"It's just another form of rejection and another hurdle. If you've managed to work up the courage to go there, only to be rejected, it can be a big hit for people.
"I think things are changing - but lots of people are quite stuck in their ways, and for trans women it can be quite intimidating going into a salon environment and feeling comfortable."
He added: "Coming out has made me a person. I feel like I'm no longer chasing anything. I always felt like I was chasing something but I didn't know what it was. I feel calmer, I feel at ease with myself.
"That's why I want to make it easier for people taking their first steps in the transition process, especially trans guys who may have been presenting female and have quite long hair, just having that knowledge and understanding of where they are coming from. It's quite a big deal when you first start growing your hair or first have it cut short."
Chace, who runs his mobile hairdressing service Beards 'n' Shears in the Birkenhead and Liverpool areas, can be contacted 07826 746417.
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