BCBC - Nugget - s2e015 - LJ Woolston - Sex Worker Month - LGBTQ Youth Advocate

About this episode... Our second nugget for this month on sex workers is with LJ Woolston - an advocate, artist social worker. He works with LGBT youth - and often that means that youth who are involved in sex work, either through choice or for survival.  He is also the widower of Diana Hemingway - an amazing transgender sex worker, activist, and advocate for rights. He speaks to us a little bit about his work, Diana, and how he works to honor her legacy. About LJ Woolston... Landon "LJ" Woolston, MSW, is a youth worker, an advocate, artist, a queer and trans-Miami native, and a Point Foundation alumni. Through his own personal journey navigating social justice issues, LJ dedicated himself to using his privilege to interrupt oppression, standing alongside and uplifting the narratives of those who are most marginalized in our communities. LJ has been working directly with LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness in Miami for over four years. He also develops and delivers training for service providers all throughout Miami, training on topics such as LGBTQ competency, trans competency, supporting queer and trans youth in varied spaces (hospitals, shelters, schools, camps, etc.), and harm reduction approach for serving young people engaged in commercial or survival sex work. Additionally, LJ uses one of his hobbies, photography, as a form of activism -- a means of sparking critical dialogue around body and sex positivity, gender, and race. His images of trans people and trans bodies have been published in several queer publications and The New Times, and he has had several local photography shows. LJ sees photography as a particularly powerful, radical medium for trans and queer folks to explore themselves, and to document their varied paths toward self-discovery, body-love, and self-love. In December of 2016, LJ lost the love of his life, Diana Hemingway, a prominent queer and trans activist, sex worker, and sex worker rights advocate, when she died by suicide. Diana suffered from mental illness, experienced homelessness several times in her life, and was also discarded by multiple families on her journey toward being her most authentic self. Although an artist in several traditional mediums (photography, sculpture, jewelry making, writing), Diana considered sensuality to be her greatest art. Her hope was to channel a lifetime of triumph and suffering into her work, emotionally connecting the intersections of gender identity, sexuality, disability, feminism, and sex work, to advance understanding and empathy of the multiple forms of oppression that she and others faced. LJ seeks to honor Diana through his work in youth homelessness, as well as in his volunteerism and activism. He is most committed to affirming and empowering queer youth. By equipping young people with community support, resources, and self-advocacy tools, LJ hopes to see the eventual elimination of the many barriers that prevent queer young people from living long, whole, authentic lives. Reaching LJ: Email: [email protected] Sex Workers Outreach Project USA: http://www.new.swopusa.org/ Diana Hemingway Memoriam, written by LJ Woolston: http://southfloridagaynews.com/In-Memoriam/in-love-that-never-dies-remembering-the-legacy-of-diana- hemingway.html Remembering Activist Diana Hemingway, written by LJ Woolston: http://southfloridagaynews.com/In-Memoriam/power-and-peace-late-activist-diana-hemingway.html Early writings about the loss of Diana Hemingway:https://inlovethatneverdies.wordpress.com/   Want to show your appreciation to the BCBC Crew and Help BCBC Succeed?!?! Please help our podcast and support a great show and resource trying to make the world better one podcast at a time! First LIKE, Rate, and Subscribe to our podcast... Best done on iTunes and also give us 5 stars and also write a wonderful review! Then check out other ways you can support the show: Donate to the show and get stuff here: www.patreon.com/bcbcpodcast Please LIKE AND SHARE THE FACEBOOK PAGE with everyone... www.facebook.com/bcbcpodcast Read our blogs and leave us a message on our cool new website: www.bcbcpodcast.com You should also watch and subscribe to the video show!!! https://www.youtube.com/bcbcpodcast Would you like to donate to a non-profit education program? Contact us at [email protected]