Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27) — A barbershop owned by a queer couple in Biñan, Laguna is offering Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) training for its barbers, seen as a significant step in the male-dominated industry.
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“Barbierro Barbershop” mixes the terms “barbie” and “barbero (barber),” words that are generally associated with femininity and masculinity, respectively, in Philippine society.
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As barbers trained on SOGIE, shop employees make sure to ask their customers’ preferred pronouns so they can be properly addressed.
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“We would make sure that our barbers are trained in terms of SOGIE and sex characteristics so they’re very well aware. I mean it’s a foreign concept usually for heterosexual straight men,” Barbierro Barbershop owner Paul Sumayao told CNN Philippines.
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The barbershop recently trended on Twitter after it claimed to be the first queer barbershop in the country.
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Maganda naman na mas marami ang ating queer spaces pero mahirap hindi pansinin ang "first queer barbershop" gayong marami sa mga queer nating kapatid ay matagal nang nakapagtayo at nag-ooperate ng mga pagupitan. Kaya may question mark sa linyang first-first. 😁 https://t.co/4WIeGQz419
— Aldrin 🏳️🌈 (@missaldrinxxx) January 19, 2023
