Getting By

getting by

THIS IS NOT AN ESCAPE STORY
Jennifer Allan is a First Nations woman who was raised in foster care on the east coast of Canada. She entered the sex industry early in her adulthood when she met two women who later became her first pimps. To this day, she feels gratitude towards these women because they helped her make a living during a time when Jen’s life was looking bleak. Since her entry into the sex industry at age 18, she has worked indoors, at escort agencies, and also survived the harsh conditions of being a sex worker on the streets who was trying to make ends meet. Jen now works in community outreach and advocacy with sex workers, but one never knows what tomorrow may bring. Sex work is always there if she needs it.

SQUATTING BABIES
I met Famous while taking a rideshare back to New York City from a media conference in Detroit. Famous moved to NYC'S Lower East Side in the early '90s and built a home — literally. She was one of a few hundred people who reclaimed and revived the urban landscape of the Lower East Side. She was a squatter. Back then, the Lower East Side was riddled with poverty and homelessness, with people camping anywhere they found a space. Additionally, there were many abandoned buildings. For more information about NYC's anti-gentrification movements check out the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space.

HOMELESS ROMEO
Keith has been homeless many times in his life. Luckily for him, he’s an attractive, charming and overall nice guy. If you take the homeless factor out of the equation, he’s a catch. His vagabond lifestyle does not prohibit him from entering relationships and having sex. But, when you enter into a relationship with someone who doesn’t have a home, there’s a power dynamic that has to be recognized. Is Keith with these women because he loves them, or because he needs a place to sleep at night?