The Barbershop use to be a real place of fear for me, particularly growing up. I would always silence myself in the shop or just try not to be noticed. I've always had a proper vernacular, dressed urban preppy, I just signaled outsider to the men in my shop. When I came out though they seemed to be shocked but not surprised. For a while it was strange, I felt weird but then one day the main barber just said, you know we don't care that you are gay right? After that, the place that caused me so much fear became one of my most sacred places.
I love the black barbershop now as a grown man and I really don't give a shit about the nervous nellys who are freaked out by the gays.