March 24, 2022

This Black Founder Launched A New Queer-Friendly Barbershop In Brooklyn To Take The Anxiety Out Of Getting A Haircut

Kadeem Woodson opened Enkel’s Barbershop last year to provide more comfort for queer customers. Although barbershops have long been regarded as a sanctuary for Black men – not all of them are a safe space for queer Black men.

study by Smith College found that some Black, queer patrons who viewed themselves as “clockable” or easily detected as a homosexual would change their physical appearance and visit shops during off-peak hours to avoid uncomfortable situations.

But Woodson says he wants members of his community to remain authentically themselves and feel comfortable where ever they go and that’s why he started the Enkel Barbershop.

Enkel’s Barbershop — enkel is German for grandson, a name he chose to honor his grandmother — officially opened in April 2021, after it was announced last fall, with a grand opening that came on Pride weekend in New York City.

Woodson says clientele is about 75 percent LGBTQ and 25 percent straight while his staff happen to all be women who are queer.

Woodson, who doesn’t have a cosmetology background, has hired two barbers and plans to bring on more as the business grows.

The shop offers services that range from fades and beard trimming to facials and sew-ins, priced from $15 to $100.

He said Enkel’s will also serve as a space for special neighborhood events such as block parties and community discussions. The whole vision was thought of when he was called a homophobic slur while getting his own hair done.

“The ignorance was on 10 that day. I mean transphobia, homophobia, even about mental health,” Woodson, 29, told Insider. “I just got so fed up and I just asked the guy, ‘Can you not use that word, specifically?'”

 “After years and years of those experiences and having to do the deep sigh every time I walked in,” Woodson said, “I just started researching what it would take to open up a shop myself,” he added.

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Abbianca Makoni

Abbianca Makoni is a content executive and writer at POCIT! She has years of experience reporting on critical issues affecting diverse communities around the globe.