CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A hairdresser and makeup artist identifies himself as a gay man in public, but he said he would prefer not to use a label at all.

Glenn Cody Thomas switched careers to follow his passion.

“I liked the creative aspect of it because you never know what’s about to walk in the door,” Thomas said.

He enjoys being a hairdresser and makeup artist.

“It took a little time of my day to make somebody look their best, feel the best,” Thomas said.

At home, he takes care of his boyfriend, who drives a truck.

Thomas said he usually uses "he" and "him" pronouns for himself.

“If people say ‘she,’ ‘her’ or ‘they,’ ‘them,’ depending on what I’m wearing or how I look,  I’m not too caught up on it,” Thomas said.

However, it bothers him when people use the word "it" to describe him when he’s trying to express himself through his makeup.

“It feels like they pretty much downgraded me to less than a human. I’m still a person,” Thomas said.

He said when he wears makeup and it’s noticeable, it can lead to stares in public.

As he explained on a video he posted on his TikTok account, theglenncoco, questions are welcome, as long as they’re respectful.

“What makes you wear makeup? It’s really pretty. I just want to know why,” Thomas said.

He usually tells people he’s a gay man, mostly because it’s a label easier for others to understand, but he would rather not have one.

“I don’t like putting myself in a label. I’m just a guy. I’m a human being. I would like to be treated like a human being,” Thomas said.

He wants others to treat him as a human being, not a category, because he said you may find you have more in common than you think.

“I can do what a regular man can do, but in makeup," Thomas said.

His long-term goal is to become a creative director for a company, coming up with the best makeup and hairstyles to advertise products.