A barber in Rancho Cucamonga,
California has refused to cut a man's hair because he's transgender.
Kendall Oliver, an Army reservist, told
CBS
Los Angeles that Richard Hernandez, owner of the barber shop,
turned him away, saying that his shop does not cut women's hair.
Oliver said that when he explained that
he identifies as male, Hernandez responded: “It doesn't matter
ma'am. We still won't cut a woman's hair.”
“I don't think that's how someone
should be discriminated against,” Oliver told the station.
“Whether they identify as male or female or transgender, a person
is a person.”
Hernandez, a member of the Church of
God, said that he has “religious convictions” that prevent him
from “cutting women's hair.”
Hernandez added that he hopes that the
U.S. Constitution will protect his rights.
In 2005, the Bay Area Center for Voting
Research ranked Rancho Cucamonga as the 28th most
conservative city in the United States.