Meet the Brains Behind the Sex Worker Outreach Project
Posted by Kelsey P. on December 15, 2009
As part of a new effort to help you get to know the wonderful folks at PWCL, I would like to introduce you to Crystal, a Direct Service Specialist in the Sexual Assault Program and the energy behind PWCL’s Sex Worker Outreach Project. Crystal was kind enough to share a few minutes with me so I could introduce her to the PWCL blog world. Bloggers, say hello to Crystal!
Kelsey: Who are you, anyway? What do you do at PWCL?
Crystal: I am a Direct Service Specialist in the Sexual Assault Program and I provide advocacy to sexual assault survivors as well as outreach and advocacy to individuals working in the commercial sex industry.
K: Why do you like your job?
C: I love my job! I especially enjoy connecting with other women and survivors and being able to just be there for them - to listen and offer support that they may not get from anyone else in their lives. I have also really enjoyed the relationships I have built with sex workers. These women are strong, intelligent, resilient people who have shared some of the most intimate details of their lives with me.
K: What is something people wouldn’t necessarily know about your job duties? Give me the dirt.
C: One thing people may not know about my job is that I carry a box of condoms and lube around in my car at all times - for outreach.
K: That sounds like a definite perk of the job, and probably makes for interesting conversation if you get help out at the grocery store. What is your favorite way to practice self-care and relax when you’re not working?
C: For self-care I love taking long hot baths and watching old episodes of Highlander, the series.
K: Highlander, huh? Tell us something else unusual about yourself that you don’t mind sharing with the internet community.
C: I love shopping for temporary dinosaur tattoos at the Dollar Scholar on Hawthorne! It is great fun reenacting prehistoric scenes on my body - another self-care activity of mine.
Thanks for taking some time out to share your deepest, darkest secrets, Crystal. It is great to be able to put a face to the work that is being done, and I hope to continue this with a featured staff or volunteer every month. Keep your eyes peeled for new personalities.
Did you know that this Thursday, December 17th is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers? Did you also know that all week PWCL, in collaboration with the Sex Worker Outreach Coalition, is hosting a film festival of movies related to the sex industry? Today we screened Highway Courtesans at In Other Words Books (Thanks, In Other Words!) and we will be screening Outlaw Poverty, Not Prostitutes tomorrow at 7pm at the Q Center (4115 N Mississippi Ave.). On Thursday, we will screen Live Nude Girls Unite at the Red & Black Cafe (400 SE 12th). Don’t miss out on these opportunities to get more familiar with the issues surrounding the commercial sex industry. Hey, you may even have a chance to chat up with Crystal and ask her about her fake tattoo habits.
See you there!