Ophelia Street

I’m sitting in a hairstylist’s chair in a fruity salon in the swanky Pittsburgh neighborhood of Shadyside. Women are all around me, but I’m getting my hair cut by one of just two male stylists in the place.
Richard, my stylist, is an avowedly gay man — wide open, yet respectful of others’ heterosexual hang-ups. But you can get him talking. I notice the inch-thick rubber choker around his neck, which seems out of place with his dress shirt and skinny tie.

“You’re looking a little S&M, a little fetishist today,” I say. He smiles, seeming happy I noticed.

Continue Reading »