Tri-Cities, WA – Just yesterday, a local trans-gender woman was discriminated simply for her identity.
She was shopping for Christmas gifts at the Uptown Shopping center when a shop owner said he was too busy to assist her. The conversation continue until she decided to leave because he didn’t have time for her.
Faith Gambetty and her partner Kathy are co-owners of Wavelengths Hair Salon in Kennewick. They decided to open the salon after Faith began her transition and noticed no one would hire her.
So they opened their salon in 2019, but closed down for four months because of the mandate in 2020. They’re now open and taking all kinds of customers.
Gambetty says that this type of discrimination is nothing new for the LGBTQIA+ community and that some discrimination even leads to murders.
“We’re just like anybody else. We’re no different than anybody else other than the fact I was born in the wrong body,” she says.
Faith has previously shopped at this store before her transition and stated, her past interaction was nothing like yesterday’s.
The two hope that the community asks questions to learn about the LGBTQIA+ community. They also wish to increase awareness for what their community goes through because it’s not always easy.
“This is where they come out or this the first place they go as their selves. we feel like being there for those people in remembrance of what it was like for us to venture out as ourselves and how scared we were,” Faith said.
Together, they wish that their salon is the safe space people can go to fell like themselves.
