[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”About Next Gen: DO NOT EDIT” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ background_color=”#3a3f54″ custom_padding=”2%|0px|2%|0px||” locked=”off” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Time of Covid Row: DO NOT EDIT” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding=”15px|0px|22px|0px||” custom_padding_tablet=”|0px||” custom_padding_phone=”|0px||” custom_width_px=”1280px”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”NextGenRadio” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ text_font=”Nunito|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”24px” text_line_height=”1.2em” header_font=”Oswald|||||on|||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font_size=”60px” header_letter_spacing=”5px” header_line_height=”1.5em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#ffffff” header_2_font_size=”27px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” text_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” max_width=”600px” module_alignment=”center”]<\/p>\n
Finding, coaching and training public media’s next generation.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”In the time of COVID: DO NOT EDIT” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ text_font=”||||||||” header_font=”|||on|||||” header_text_align=”center” header_2_font=”Oswald|||on|||||” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#4cbbf8″ header_2_font_size=”37px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” background_layout=”dark” max_width=”600px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”87px|||||”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”Texts: DO NOT EDIT” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ text_font=”Nunito||||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”18px” header_font=”Oswald||||” header_font_size=”16px” header_letter_spacing=”2px” header_line_height=”1.7em” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”600px” max_width_tablet=”” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”-30px|||” locked=”off”]is a set of audio and digital stories highlighting the experiences of people whose lives have changed dramatically during the pandemic. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_video src=”http:\/\/youtu.be\/jS-JN6J3SBA” thumbnail_overlay_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.6)” admin_label=”YouTube Video” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text admin_label=”Standup Intro Text” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”18px”]It\u2019s illegal to work in the sex industry in Florida. For Black trans sex workers, it\u2019s especially hard because of their identities and little public support.\u00a0<\/span> This community has been left even more vulnerable during the pandemic.\u00a0 And now Ashunte Coleman\u2019s outreach program for these women in the Tampa Bay area faces the additional challenge of finding new ways to provide health services and resources.\u00a0<\/span> \u200b [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”HERO IMAGE OPTION 2: Story Intro Full Width, w\/ background image : DELETE IF NOT NEEDED” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ background_color=”#e2d4c0″ background_image=”https:\/\/flnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/01\/jordan_ard_final_gif-1.gif” min_height=”845.1px” custom_margin=”||6px|||” custom_padding=”30.4%|0px|9.2%|0px||”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ admin_label=”Layout Row” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.5.1″ width=”89%” width_tablet=”80%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”89%” max_width_tablet=”80%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”|||” make_fullwidth=”on”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||6px|||”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”7px||10px|||”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n Illustrated by Ard Su<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”10px||10px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”10px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_post_title date=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” admin_label=”Post Title” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h3″ title_font=”Oswald||||||||” title_font_size=”42px” title_letter_spacing=”2px” title_line_height=”1.2em” meta_text_color=”#04a3e3″ meta_font_size=”18px”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n The COVID-19 pandemic has made street-based sex workers even more vulnerable. Ashunte Coleman, a Black trans woman, provides health services, resources, and a safe space for her community.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI learned that those things that were taught to me in prison with the prison release program\u2014 that you can go out and you can go and apply for jobs and you must be honest and they will employ <\/span>you was a lie<\/span>\u2014 <\/span>it was all a f—–g lie<\/span>,\u201d said Ashunte Coleman, a former sex worker. \u201cFor one, I couldn’t find a job. I was already homeless, and I was staying with a lady that was drug dependent.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For Coleman, finding job opportunities after being incarcerated led to many dead ends\u2014 a situation only intensified by her identity as a Black trans woman.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_audio audio=”https:\/\/flnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/01\/JordanMaster.mp3″ title=” \u201cConsider me an essential worker.\u201d How one woman supports Black trans sex workers in the Tampa Bay area.” artist_name=”Jordan Norrris-Gaither” album_name=”Next Generation Radio | Florida Newsroom | January 2021″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#3251a3″][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/01\/LIPS-TAMPA-INSTAGRAM-JORDAN-GAITHER-02.jpg” alt=”Ashunte Coleman holding a sign that reads \u201cGiftcards w\/ Free HIV and Hepo Testing\u201d in all caps.” title_text=”LIPS-TAMPA-INSTAGRAM-JORDAN-GAITHER-02″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n Ashunte Coleman poses for a photo in January 2020 (left). Coleman works with Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP Tampa) on September 16, 2019 to provide free HIV and Hepatitis testing (right). Free testing is just one of the health services that SWOP and LIPS work together on to provide for the community.\u00a0<\/span>(Photos provided by Ashunte Coleman)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||11px|||”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Story Text” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of us are not allowed to age as children and go through…<\/span>school<\/span> as trans women,\u201d Coleman said, emphasizing that being trans in a Black religious family is taboo. \u201cSo a lot of transgender women end up on the streets, and in the South, you only have one thing to offer and that’s sex work.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span>After moving from Atlanta last year, Coleman was shocked to find there weren\u2019t any programs in Tampa to support the trans community. Coleman took it upon herself to fill this void by creating Ladies Intervention Project For Success (LIPS) to promote health and wellness for her sisters in the area. Unlike its parent organization, Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) Tampa, a branch of a national network of sex workers, LIPS focuses specifically on issues that people who identify as transgender may face. It offers the women testing for HIV and hepatitis C, as well as hygiene kits, which include things like soap, toothpaste, deodorant, condoms and lubricant. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI pay my husband to make sandwiches to go in the (kits),\u201d said Coleman. \u201cI mean, it’s a family thing. But yeah, it’s just to give them some little bit of love in the struggle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Since the coronavirus pandemic started, they\u2019ve added face masks, hand sanitizer and wet wipes to the hygiene kits.<\/span><\/p>\n Women who work in the sex industry still need to make a living during the pandemic. Street-based workers have found that COVID-19 hasn\u2019t changed much about their industry, leaving many vulnerable to the spread of the virus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can only tell you from the escort\u2019s point of view, as a Black trans woman and a street-based sex worker, the streets are still flooded with johns trying to pick up the girls,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cIt has not changed. Guys are still trying to do what they do, you know men are selfish. They don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd when you are on the streets and when you try to survive basically on the streets, you don’t get a chance to screen who you get in a car with,\u201d she said. \u201cYour survival depends on you getting inside of a car. So those girls are still out there, and they still need that assistance. And because of the pandemic, it never stops. You can consider me an essential worker.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The state of Florida criminalizes sex work and defines the industry as people who are not married to each other who buy, sell, or solicit sexual favors for money. The criminizilation of sex work especially targets Black trans sex workers because of their gender, identity, and race. Trans rights activists and sex worker rights activists believe that the decriminalization of sex work would alleviate the violence that trans women face within the industry, as well as in the justice system.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo organizing is kind of difficult when you’re organizing a group of people that come with trauma and neglect and abuse, and they don’t trust,\u201d said Coleman. \u201cThey’re not willing to trust as easily, you know, because we’ve already been ostracized, we’ve been taken for granted. And like I said before, a lot of these girls are comfortable with doing what they’re doing. Why change it?”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a part of her work with LIPS, Coleman hosts weekly meetings called My Sister\u2019s Corner in her home,\u00a0 where the small group holds discussions revolving around trans-led issues. They talk about everything from building life skills outside of the trade to their own personal lives.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne girl\u2019s mom had passed. So we centered everything around healing,\u201d said Coleman. And that’s what the group is basically for. It\u2019s about healing and creating a sisterhood that we don’t have.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She feels that it\u2019s important to continue to meet in person because of the healing work that happens within My Sister\u2019s Corner. Due to her background as a certified nursing assistant, she is well aware of the risk of letting others into her home. However, because these meetings promote love, understanding, and compassion between the girls who attend, she will continue to host meetings in her home. Her goal is to make sure they know that not only is she there for them, but also so is a whole community of other women and sex workers.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n\u201cIn the Time of COVID-19\u201d<\/h2>\n
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