The Power of a Haircut

@ 2026 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All rights reserved

        The Power of a Haircut
    This Advocate editor experienced an epiphany after she sheared off her locks.
play icon
 Yezmin Villarreal
          
          Apr 20, 2017
          
        
Yezmin Villarreal
Yezmin Villarreal is the former news editor for The Advocate. Her work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Mic, LA Weekly, Out Magazine and The Fader.
 See Full Bio 
                  Follow:
                  

        
        FROM OUR SPONSORS
        
    

        
        The Latest
        
    
National
        Virginia Republican names bill for swimmer whose fifth-place tie with trans athlete launched lucrative career
    Rep. John McGuire’s proposed Riley Gaines Act would allow athletes to sue colleges that permit transgender women to compete in women’s sports.
Christopher Wiggins
States
        New Hampshire House advances transgender bathroom bill, breaking with New England
    The Republican-led legislation places the state increasingly out of step with the rest of New England on trans rights.
Christopher Wiggins
National
        Darrell Issa’s retirement opens Palm Springs–area House race for queer Democrats
    The longtime California Republican congressman is packing it up.
Christopher Wiggins
Opinion
        From abomination to somebody: What Jesse Jackson meant to Black queer boys in the Back pew
    A queer Black writer reflects on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s evolving relationship with LGBTQ+ people — and what it meant for those of us raised in the Black church.
James B. Golden

        
        More For You
        
        JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, is not having Ryan Murphy’s ‘grotesque’ new JFK Jr. show
    
Jacob Ogles
Mar 03, 2026
Kennedy family member Jack Schlossberg, who is running for Congress in New York, has been highly critical of producer Ryan Murphy's new show about the JFK Jr.

         Edna Leshowitz/Getty Images, Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images
    
        President John F. Kennedy’s grandson made it clear that the Kennedy family has no use for Ryan Murphy’s television dramatization of his uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr.'s, life. Keep Reading →

        Demi Lovato & Jonathan Bennett will headline a star-studded lineup for the 37th GLAAD Media Awards
    
Christopher Wiggins
Feb 23, 2026
Demi Lovato performs onstage during TikTok LIVE Fest 2026 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on February 12, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

        Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for TikTok
    
        Global pop star Demi Lovato will perform at the 37th annual GLAAD Media Awards on March 5 in Los Angeles, with actor and producer Jonathan Bennett returning to host a ceremony that will stream exclusively on Hulu later this month, GLAAD announced Monday. The event will spotlight LGBTQ+ representation across film, television, music, and journalism. The Advocate, along with its sister publication, Out, is among the nominees for Outstanding Magazine. Keep Reading →

        Queer star Keke Palmer updates her sexual identity, 'I'm almost 100% sure I'm asexual'
    
Rachel Shatto
Feb 18, 2026
Keke Palmer attends the 8th Annual American Black Film Festival Honors at SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills on February 16, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

        Brianna Bryson/FilmMagic
    
        If there is one thing Keke Palmer is going to do, it's keep it real. Keep Reading →

        Was 'Boots' canceled over politics? 'Absolutely not,' Netflix CEO says
    
Bernardo Sim
Feb 12, 2026
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos; Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope on Boots.

        Joe Seer/Shutterstock; Netflix
    
  Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has broken his silence on the cancelation of Boots, a gay TV series set in the U.S. Marine Corps. Keep Reading →

        Actor James Van Der Beek has died at age 48
    
Ariel Messman-Rucker
Feb 11, 2026
James Van Der Beek at the Fox Winter Press Day on November 18, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. 

        JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images
    
        James Van Der Beek has died following a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. He was 48. Keep Reading →

        Most Popular
        
States
        Iowa House Republicans pass a bill that will make the lives of transgender residents worse
    Conservative lawmakers are attempting to take away protections that some local governments have put in place to prevent discrimination against their LGBTQ+ citizens.
Jack Walker
Opinion
        Kristi Noem is a cautionary tale for white gay Republicans
    Opinion: Proximity to (and even building) misogynistic machinery will not protect you, writes contributor Josh Ackley.
Josh Ackley
National
        Republicans rage after Trump appears to soften stance on trans care
    On Truth Social, the president appeared to leave the door open to kids getting gender-affirming care with "express written approval of the parents."
Christopher Wiggins
People
        Gay professional gamer detained by ICE fears deportation to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal
    Ludovic Mbock’s Maryland family is worried that he will be sent to a country where homosexuality is illegal.
Christopher Wiggins
History is Queer
        The incredible story of a gay interracial love affair in the midst of WWII
    When Reed Peggram met Arne Hauptmann in Paris in 1939, neither could have imagined their love would carry them through imprisonment, escape, and survival behind enemy lines in wartime Italy.
Ethelene Whitmire
Crime
        Many alleged suicides of Black trans women are in fact modern-day lynchings, report finds
    Jill Collen Jefferson, the founder of JULIAN, explains what happens when a transgender woman’s death is ruled a suicide and a community calls it something else.
Christopher Wiggins

Site Navigation

The Power of a Haircut

This Advocate editor experienced an epiphany after she sheared off her locks.

The Latest

Virginia Republican names bill for swimmer whose fifth-place tie with trans athlete launched lucrative career

Rep. John McGuire’s proposed Riley Gaines Act would allow athletes to sue colleges that permit transgender women to compete in women’s sports.

New Hampshire House advances transgender bathroom bill, breaking with New England

The Republican-led legislation places the state increasingly out of step with the rest of New England on trans rights.

Darrell Issa’s retirement opens Palm Springs–area House race for queer Democrats

The longtime California Republican congressman is packing it up.

From abomination to somebody: What Jesse Jackson meant to Black queer boys in the Back pew

A queer Black writer reflects on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s evolving relationship with LGBTQ+ people — and what it meant for those of us raised in the Black church.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

10 of the sexiest music videos that gagged everyone in 2025

Hollywood Hunks Laid Bare: 1960s-1970s

Liza Minnelli, flanked by a phalanx of dancers, surprises audience at the GLAAD Media Awards

36 Fetishes Every Gay Man Should Know

The most searched gay adult entertainers of 2024 revealed

More For You

JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, is not having Ryan Murphy’s ‘grotesque’ new JFK Jr. show

Demi Lovato & Jonathan Bennett will headline a star-studded lineup for the 37th GLAAD Media Awards

Queer star Keke Palmer updates her sexual identity, 'I'm almost 100% sure I'm asexual'

Was 'Boots' canceled over politics? 'Absolutely not,' Netflix CEO says

Actor James Van Der Beek has died at age 48

Most Popular

Iowa House Republicans pass a bill that will make the lives of transgender residents worse

Conservative lawmakers are attempting to take away protections that some local governments have put in place to prevent discrimination against their LGBTQ+ citizens.

Kristi Noem is a cautionary tale for white gay Republicans

Opinion: Proximity to (and even building) misogynistic machinery will not protect you, writes contributor Josh Ackley.

Gay professional gamer detained by ICE fears deportation to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal

Ludovic Mbock’s Maryland family is worried that he will be sent to a country where homosexuality is illegal.

The incredible story of a gay interracial love affair in the midst of WWII

When Reed Peggram met Arne Hauptmann in Paris in 1939, neither could have imagined their love would carry them through imprisonment, escape, and survival behind enemy lines in wartime Italy.

Many alleged suicides of Black trans women are in fact modern-day lynchings, report finds

Jill Collen Jefferson, the founder of JULIAN, explains what happens when a transgender woman’s death is ruled a suicide and a community calls it something else.

Latest Stories

Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week.

The Power of a Haircut

This Advocate editor experienced an epiphany after she sheared off her locks.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

Rep. John McGuire’s proposed Riley Gaines Act would allow athletes to sue colleges that permit transgender women to compete in women’s sports.

The Republican-led legislation places the state increasingly out of step with the rest of New England on trans rights.

The longtime California Republican congressman is packing it up.

A queer Black writer reflects on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s evolving relationship with LGBTQ+ people — and what it meant for those of us raised in the Black church.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

More For You

Most Popular

Conservative lawmakers are attempting to take away protections that some local governments have put in place to prevent discrimination against their LGBTQ+ citizens.

Opinion: Proximity to (and even building) misogynistic machinery will not protect you, writes contributor Josh Ackley.

On Truth Social, the president appeared to leave the door open to kids getting gender-affirming care with "express written approval of the parents."

Ludovic Mbock’s Maryland family is worried that he will be sent to a country where homosexuality is illegal.

When Reed Peggram met Arne Hauptmann in Paris in 1939, neither could have imagined their love would carry them through imprisonment, escape, and survival behind enemy lines in wartime Italy.

Jill Collen Jefferson, the founder of JULIAN, explains what happens when a transgender woman’s death is ruled a suicide and a community calls it something else.