Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Shannon Perez-Darby Youth Services Program Director The Northwest Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse

Logistics

Poll

Who is on the call?

o Domestic Violence Program o Sexual Assault Program o Human Trafficking Program/Organization o Youth Serving Organization o Governmental Organization o Law Enforcement or Criminal Legal Organization o Other

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

NW Network Youth Programming  Direct Services for LGBT Youth        

Domestic and Dating Violence Sexual Violence Healthy Relationship Skills LGBT Youth Crime Victim Service Center Advocacy Based Counseling LGBT Youth Support Groups Individual Direct Services Comprehensive referrals

 Community Engagement  Gay Straight Alliances  OutSpoken LGBT Youth Speaker’s Bureau

 Organizational Support, Training and Technical Assistance

Goals 1. Understanding youth self-determination and it’s relationship to sexual exploitation 2. Centering the experiences of LGBT Youth 3. Understanding more about the various frameworks used to address the experiences of LGBT youth who trade sex for money 3. Exploring the overlaps in these frameworks to help find common ground in the hopes of better supporting LGBT youth in the sex trade

Poll

Does your organization currently work with youth who trade sex for money or other survival needs? Yes No

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Scope  Numbers on national prevalence of youth involved in sex trades differ greatly  Anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 youth (under 18) in US 

These numbers don’t usually involve youth engaged in survival sex

 City of Seattle Commissioned Report *  238 non-duplicated youth engaged in prostitution were identified in the Seattle area in 2007  Estimated that 300-500 youth per year are involved in

prostitution in Seattle * Who Pays the Price: Assessment of Youth Involvement in Prostitution in Seattle (Boyer, 2007)

Scope and LGBT Youth Unfortunately as of now there are no national, comprehensive numbers of LGBTQ youth in the sex trades

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

LGBT Youth and Homelessness  It’s estimated that around 40% of homeless youth are LGBT youth*  Youth in the sex trades are largely homeless and runaway youth  It stands to reason that of youth in the sex trades LGBT youth are overly represented *Ray, N. (2006). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth: An Epidemic of Homelessness. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Young Women’s Empowerment Project Girls, including transgender girls ages 12-23 who have current or past experience with any part of the sex trade and street economies

Young Women’s Empowerment Project  Participatory Research Project  Girls do what they have to do to survive: methods used by girls in the

sex trade and street economy to fight back and heal

 2007-2009

 99% are girls and women of color  Most are African American, Latina and Mixed Race  About 70% of their constituency also identifies as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual

 Transgender girls represent approximately 20% of their constituency www.youarepriceless.org

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Poll

What term do you most often use when talking about youth who trade sex for money?  Youth in the sex trades  Survival Sex  Human/ Sex Trafficking

 Commercially Sexually Exploitation (CSEY/CSEC)  Sex Work  Something else (if so please type into the chat box)

Sex Trade/s  Umbrella Term referring to the process of exchanging sex for money, gifts, drugs, or survival needs  Doesn’t inherently involve third party exploitation but definitely can  From a desire to talk about street economy and survival needs

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Language Matters Sex Trades Survival Sex Human/Sex Trafficking

Sex Work

Domestic Minor Trafficking

Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth/Children ( CSEY/CSEC)

Language as a tool  Many of these terms while appearing to be saying the

same thing have vastly different implications and contexts  None of these frameworks provides a full view on the experiences of LGBT youth in the sex trade but all of them have something to offer  We don’t have to be on the same page to move forward on overlapping goals

Traditional Human Trafficking Model When we say “commercially sexually exploited youth”, “domestic minor human trafficking”, “Prostituted youth” very specific images are being invoked

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Human Trafficking Sexual Exploitation Model  Image of a young teenage girl trapped in a pattern of exploitation by a boyfriend/pimp/exploiter who:  



Controls her labor Often uses violence to maintain the exploitation and control Has culturally specific implications and language  i.e.- the track, “in the life”, john, trick, “date”, etc.

Beyond the Traditional Model  Youth in this model deserve a lot of time, energy and resources  In addition to the resources available to support these specific youth we want to expand our support to youth involved in the sex trade who may not fit into the picture just described

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Survivor Centered  Our frameworks should adjust to the reality of

people’s lives.  If something about our framework and the experiences of the people we’re working with is not matching up it’s our job to adjust our frameworks to fit their experiences, not the other way around

What are we trying to end?

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Exploitation! (not necessarily the sex trade)

 My primary goal is to end exploitation and violence not necessarily to stop the trading of sex for money or other things of value.  If the primary goal was to end the sex trade we would need to be looking at larger issues of inequality, poverty, racism… and all of the reasons that people aren’t getting their basic needs meet

Questions from the chat?

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

LGBTQ communities are a culturally specific group with unique strengths, challenges and barriers to accessing support Meeting the needs of this vast and diverse group of people takes BOTH 1. 2.

Culturally specific services created by and for LGBTQ communities AND Mainstream service providers with the skill and cultural sensitivity to address the specific needs and barriers faced by LGBTQ communities

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Language & LGBT Youth • Almost every word that has been used by us respectfully

has also been used against us hatefully.

• One’s intent, openness and actions are connected to how a

word is experienced by others.

• The words reflect a great diversity of identity and

experiences.

• Youth are on the forefront of evolving language • Insider/Outsider • Cultural characteristic of “camp” • Use the language that people use to describe

themselves.

Who are we talking about?  Trans youth  Boys & young men of all sexual orientations  Visibility for girls who identify as LGBTQ and trade money

for sex with men  Invisibility of bisexual youth

 Run away and homeless youth who may not have a third party exploiter but whose involvement in the sex trade puts them at huge risk of experiencing drug abuse, violence and domestic and sexual abuse

Trans Youth  Trans woman/girl- a person who was assigned male at birth who currently identifies as female

 Trans man/guy/boi- a person who was assigned female at birth who currently identifies as male  Use terms people use to describe themselves  Refer to people with terms (names, pronouns, etc.) appropriate to their current gender identity and presentation

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Trans Youth  Experience significant barriers to employment  ID’s consistent with their current name, gender identity

and presentation  Discrimination, transphobia, violence

 Make up a notable population of youth sex workers  According to numbers collected by

The San Francisco Bay Area Homeless Project:  Of the people they work with who are engaged in the sex trade 12% are trans women  Legitimization of trans identity- Internalized

Support for Trans Youth o “Transgender youth in New York City have been found eight times more likely than non-transgender youth to trade sex for a safe place to stay” (Freeman and Hamilton 2008)*

o Practices and Policy alignment 

Names & Pronouns



Intake Forms



Gender Segregated Spaces



Healthcare

*Urban Institute Report- Surviving the Streets of New York: Experiences of LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW Engaged in Survival Sex

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Boys in the sex trade  Under the Radar: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Men by Sue McIntyre, 2005  Vancouver, BC based study  Revealed that 80% of males in the sex trade had

experienced violence at some point during the trade  75% entered the sex trade under the age of 18  60% of those interviewed had a history of being thrown

out of their homes  90% had a history of running away  Consisted of gay, bi and heterosexual men

Different Exploiters Similar Violence “I was shocked that you didn’t have a pimp; it seemed to me that having a pimp was not only a requirement but some would say a law. Then you explained to me that instead of having a pimp, your predator often looked like an older man just wanting to give you a place to stay or a little help in exchange for constant sexual or physical abuse sometimes both. I guess that you had your own type of Pimp.” - From Allison to Harry (both self-identified survivors of sexual exploitation)

Boys in the sex trade  Shifts in language  Understandings of exploitation and patterns of power and control

 We don’t see boys as potential victims of sexual violence  Work vs. identity

 Different challenges for escaping violence and exploitation  Potential violence from customers  Internalized homophobia  Conflict of customer about having sex with men and/or having sex

with someone who isn’t their partner (wife)

 Mode of work- street vs. internet, massage parlors, escorts

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

A Seattle Based Example

Someone who is using a pattern of power and control tries to turn a subject (agent) into an object

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Agency Agency is your sense of self as a person who can act powerfully and make choices on your own behalf

As an agent you are behind the wheel. You can’t control what the other cars are doing or what comes into your lane but you can control how you move your vehicle.

 The antidote to this pattern of power, control &

exploitation is increasing choices by:  supporting youth in their own self-determination and safety (in that order)  Not re-creating hierarchical systems where we tell youth that we know what’s best for them

For people experiencing a pattern of power, control & exploitation; “survivors” For people establishing a pattern of power, control & exploitation; “abusers”



Self-determination Safety*



Accountability

* the order is important (c) 2006,2009,2010 Connie Burk for the NW Network DO NOT DUPLICATE

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Washington State CSEC Laws  A person identified as the “minor” in the charge of commercial sexual abuse of a minor under RCW 9.68A.100 is considered a victim of a criminal act for the purpose of the right to benefits under this chapter even if the person is also charged with prostitution under RCW 31 9A.88.030  Addressing the disparity between advocacy vs. criminal legal language

Roger Roger is a 15 year old high school student. Roger thinks he might be gay but hasn’t really talked to anyone at home or at school about his feelings. He goes to his school counselor asking about where he can get free condoms and maybe some information about safer sex.

Roger has few friends and the only place he feels safe to really come out to people is online in the chat rooms.

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth Roger He explains that he’s had a few experiences with guys from the internet but feels like he doesn’t need the internet any longer and decides to go out on his own and hang out on the streets near the clubs. Maybe someone will pay for his way in and buy him a few drinks, or maybe he’ll just wait until they’re closing and all the guys are leaving. He finds there are a lot of guys who think he’s attractive and funny. He tells you he’ll have his pick of who to go home with and they’ll likely have some cash if he mentions needing some.

Safer Sex & STD Education

Community Connection

Mandated reporting

Roger Safety planning

Age verification at clubs Address internet security

Youth Self-Determination

Chat

Time for your participation!

Using the chat function type at least one (1) local resource or strategy you think would be helpful to Roger. Be as specific as possible.

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Janet Janet is a 16 year old transwoman who has just been kicked out of her house after coming out as trans. She tried to talk about her gender with people in her life but couldn’t find anyone she related to. Without a support system and without a home to go to she tries to find someplace safe to hide downtown. She hasn’t thought about suicide in a few years but doesn’t feel like she has a future or will be happy. She is very depressed and hungry.

Janet Janet has found other transwomen on the streets that help her with clothes and tips on how to pass. They are older and more experienced than her and she finds she can learn a lot from them. She says that they are like her older sisters and the supportive mothers she never had. Some of them have apartments and some live with boyfriends. Others live on the street like her. They become the idea of a future that she can have. She’s starting to think that maybe being a sex-worker is part of being trans.

Sexual health services Gender & Trans* community education

Transitionrelated healthcare

Janet Therapy and mental health support

Shelter and housing

Build informal networks, chosen family

Safety planning

Youth Self-Determination

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Chat

Time for your participation!

Using the chat function type at least one (1) local resource you think would be helpful to Janet. Be as specific as possible.

A Way Forward  We strongly recommend an Advocacy Model of supporting

youth experiencing violence and exploitation  Talk to youth about:  Healthy masculinity and femininity  LGBTQ centered healthy relationship support  Age appropriate conversations about sex and sexuality  If we don’t talk to youth about healthy sexuality and relationships other people and information will fill the gap •

Homophobia complicates this when talking about and with LGBT youth

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Models  Harm Reduction: Washington State House Bill 1292- Clearing Criminal Prostitution Convictions

Engagement before Opposition Engage with Human Trafficking frameworks to have explicit services for queer and trans youth in the sex trade

Youth Empowerment  Means supporting youth in their own selfdetermination and safety (in that order)  Ways we undermine youth self-determination  Laws  Paternalism  Ageism  Arbitrary Rules 

Who is the rule for?

 Educational Institutions

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Where do we go from here?  Increase our ability to hold complexity  Start from where we are while keeping a vision of the future we want to create

 Finding the common ground across different frameworks  We can generally agree that all of these frameworks want to end exploitation of youth

Resources Youth in the Sex Trades o API Women & Family Safety Center (Seattle, WA) - www.apiwfsc.org o

Streetwise & Safe (New York, NY) - http://www.streetwiseandsafe.org

o Young Women’s Empowerment Project - www.youarepriceless.org o Praxus Project (Denver, CO) - www.praxus.org o GEMS- Girls Empowering and Mentoring Services (New York, NY) - www.gems-

girls.org o Emi Koyama - http://eminism.org/ o Urban Institute Report on the experiences of LGBTQ youth engaged in survival sex -

http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000119-Survivingthe-Streets-of-New-York.pdf

LGBT Language Resources http:/\www.glaad.org/files/MediaReferenceGuide2010.pdf

o GLADD Resource Guide/Glossary

o Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Glossary - http://www.pflagatl.org/lgbt-

glossary/ o Comprehensive LGBT Glossary -

http://internationalspectrum.umich.edu/life/definitions

The Northwest Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse  Please get in touch if you have questions, know a youth who is looking for support or would like more information about training for you or your organization

Shannon Perez-Darby- Youth Services Program Director [email protected] Or call our offices anytime Monday-Friday 9am-5pm (PST) 206-568-7777 www.nwnetwork.org

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777

Prostitution, Expoitation and Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with Queer and Trans Youth

Points of view or opinions expressed in this webinar are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.

www.mecptraining.org

67

Copyright Shannon Perez-Darby DO NOT DUPLICATE The NW Network of LGBT Survivors of Abuse [email protected] 206-568-7777