To coincide with RMIT's annual Pride Week, the new Gender Equity & Justice Project will be hosting a pop-up barbershop in collaboration with Little Rebel Barbershop.
Running from Monday 22 August to Friday 26 August, RMIT Pride Week is an important opportunity to bring together and celebrate the University's diverse genders, sexes, and sexualities (DGSS) community.
This year, Pride Week will be delivered in a combination of face-to-face and online platforms to provide opportunities for all to take part. Pride Week aligns with the IDAHOBIT theme, 'Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights!' - a reminder LGBTIQA+ people continue to fight for their rights every day.
Shelley Hewson-Munro from the Gender Equity & Justice Project explained that the pop ups are about a bigger movement about to be undertaken at RMIT to create opportunities to talk about outdated ideas about gender and gender-based violence. "A lot of barbershops are marketed as "men" only and have not been and continue to be not safe spaces for everyone and haircuts shouldn't have a gender or cause discrimination and harm," she said.
"We want to reclaim safety and celebration around hair styles and choices and promote queer safe and supportive businesses like Little Rebel Barbershop for students to know there are people out there who are passionate about them and how they want to be."
RMIT Pride Week banner. Source: RMIT University
Joining the event at Pride week will be the barbers from Little Rebel Barbershop in Preston - a queer owned small business that creates a safe and inclusive space for all.
Owner and Director of Little Rebel Barbershop, Rhia Rebel, said there is a need for more barbershops like theirs in the LGBTQIA+ community. "We are driven by our passion for hair, pushing the boundaries with traditional binary fashions, making a change in the hair and barber industry and equality for all," she said.
"As queer people we experience discrimination regularly. The hair and beauty industry can be very binary in its approach to fashion and labels / pronouns. Not all of us fit into those binaries or boxes. Queer people deserve to be heard, seen and need to feel comfortable in every industry this goes for the clientele and staff. We are excited to help inspire others in what we do and feel honoured to be working with others who also are driven to help make a change towards equality."
Hewson-Munro acknowledged issues relating to gender inequality and violence are complex, but that we need to face them and work together to end it. "A key part of the project also focuses on engaging identifying male students and staff to be part of the solution by working alongside of women and others to undertake small scale project ideas,"
"It also has a remit to explore and review how we can change and improve our teaching and learning content so that it works towards national goals for equality and anti-violence, as well as work, health and safety requirements"
Hewson-Munro states that ending violence will not be an easy ask and it will take vulnerability and personal work to make it a reality, but it is possible. The Gender Justice Project will be holding more collaborations soon, including with The Streets Barber and She is Not Your Rehab barber crew from New Zealand.
Anyone can drop by the pop-up barbershop on Wednesday August 24 in Carlton, or Thursday 25 August on Bowen Street in the City Campus.
