IDENTIFIED AS the first queer barbershop in the Philippines, Barbierro Barbershop pushes for initiatives centered around the queer community as it recently opened its second branch in Laon Laan, Manila last April 20.
One of the barbershop’s regular routines for its barbers is a SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics) training to firstly laminate their advocacy to their members.
“The reason behind that is, as a male-dominated industry, not many barbers are familiar with SOGIESC. It’s our way of making sure that they’re aware, they’re adept, and they can utilize also their knowledge on SOGIESC with their clients, even outside Barbierro Barbershop,” Paul Sumayao, one of Barbierro’s co-founders, told Manila Pulse.
The SOGIESC training sessions guide the staff on how to address clients properly, especially queer clients, through their preferred pronouns, honorifics, or titles. Although sessions are only held twice a year, new employees must also attend additional courses.
However, Sumayao and his co-founder and partner Jedi Directo struggle with finding resource speakers for the training drills.
“Instead of us doing it ourselves, we want to make sure we get it from the experts or somebody who would train our barbers effectively,” he said.
The owners made sure to attend workshops and movements from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) groups such as Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Safe Spaces PH, Strands for Trans, and Everywhere is Queer, and Inclusive Philippines Business Summit to practice “equal access” despite not being experts.
‘Giving back’
As part of Strands For Trans, a global network of hair, beauty, and wellness industries, the shop also aims to create and inspire positive experiences for all guests, especially those from the transgender community.
“The idea really is to make sure that everybody is included in the table and basically no one is left behind, which is very much aligned to the spirit of inclusion that we have at Barbierro Barbershop,” Sumayao said.
Resonating state of inclusivity, Barbierro implemented gender-neutral pricing on their services.
“We involved the community. More of the community collaboration which is what is my core, and what our company’s core is as well,” Barbierro Barbershop Manila owner Buboy Borbe said, also citing that the shop hired street food vendors as caterers during their Manila branch opening.
In 2023, Barbierro launched GUPITCREW, a bi-annual program that offers free haircut lessons and tools for marginalized LGBTQIA+ youth in local communities.
Through a partnership with a company Sumayao refused to disclose, they are sponsoring eight students from a Laguna community for the program. The classes will be held at the first Barbierro branch in Biñan, Laguna.
“It’s really our way of giving back to the community and especially to the out-of-school trans and queer individuals who can’t really get jobs because they are being discriminated at school or in their workplace,” he said.
Aside from consumers, the GUPITCREW barbers themselves will receive financial compensation, an upgrade on their tools and, work stations.
Bridge the binary
Barbierro being queer-owned also plays an important role in maintaining a safe space for the queer community, according to Sumayao.
“The influence of the barbershop’s owners on their employees and how they behave around their clients are a big factor. We get to hold the narrative and we can correct microaggressions,” he said.
Ricky Aquino, the first and only barber in the Manila branch thus far, expressed that Barbierro is different from other barbershops as it is “free from discrimination.”
Customers are free to disclose their preferred pronouns when they check the mirror and see the signage.
“I think, visually, it is important that both barbers and clients are reminded of the openness and the message of inclusion. It’s a deliberate way of letting the clients know that they can tell us their preferred pronouns, and we’re open to that,” Sumayao said.
Besides the signages, QR codes for client feedback are provided in each station where they can “voice out” possible concerns.
Despite these initiatives, Sumayao believes many still do not understand the concept of a queer barbershop.
He also recalled how the barbershop has been a hot topic last year on social media platforms, including X.
“[Netizens said] we were claiming that we’re the first queer barbershop and that sort of invalidates the presence of salons owned by trans women or queer business owners,” he explained.
But in an interview with ANCx in 2023, Sumayao said they are not discrediting other queer-owned salons and barbershops, emphasizing that haircuts are historically gendered—salons are for women and barbershops are for men—and he wanted to break that mold.
“When you say you are a queer-owned barbershop, it doesn’t mean automatically that, OK, you’re doing something for the community. Yes, there’s visibility [and] representation, but it is not enough in these modern times. You really have to fight back to claim your space.”
“That’s [also] kind of a roadblock when it comes to the hiring process because they can’t understand and categorize our concept for the barbershop which is, again, the idea is we want to disrupt the existing industry standards. We want to be the space that bridges the binaries of salons and barbershops,” he said.
Barbierro Barbershop offers a variety of services from styling, hair treatment, hair art, and haircuts ranging from P250 to P860.
Located in Laon Laan Street, Manila, the second branch is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. — Mharla Francesca Santiano/Manila Pulse
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