Why does Claude cut off his hair in the novel, This Is How It Always Is?

Claude/Poppy’s hair is also a marker of gender identity. Long hair suggests femininity; in kindergarten, when Claude dreams of being a girl, he draws himself with long hair. He later has the chance to live this dream as Poppy. After being outed, Poppy/Claude is convinced that he has no right to his female identity, so he cuts off his hair.