Governor Loses Hairstylist Over Marriage Equality Stance

A hairstylist named Antonio Darden in Santa Fe, New Mexico has declined to style the governor's hair due to her opposition to marriage equality.  Republican Susana Martinez has been outspoken against gay marriage and now that position has lost her an appointment at Darden's salon. The governor had been there three times before but when her aides called this week for another appointment, Darden (who has a partner of 15 years but cannot marry in New Mexico) took a stand and said no. Twice!  Perhaps this was due to the fact that Washington state and Maryland, which recently voted favorably on same-sex marriage legislation, had pro-equality governors backing the measures.

I wonder if Darden's simple act of "salon disobedience" could spark a larger movement in the fight for marriage equality nationwide. If the country's legislators all realized how much they depend on gay men to make them look good, maybe the political could truly become personal, forcing them to reassess their stands on this important issue.

A few years ago, there was a Paul Rudnick play here in New York called REGRETS ONLY, which dealt with a similar fictionally situation. It was about a gay male designer who is politically awakened and aims to start a boycott of his right-wing Park Avenue clients, making them realize how much they depend on gay men to keep their fabulous world afloat. Think of it; if all the florists, hairstylists, makeup artists, designers, caterers, entertainers, etc. stopped working, then maybe these folks would take notice.