"Barbara"
Survivor of Prostitution
Originally from Honduras, Barbara, now 64 years old, grew up in a loving home with parents who accepted that their young son was “effeminate” at a time when acceptance was not typical. Upon arriving in the United States, at the suggestion of a friend, Barbara turned to prostitution as a way to support herself financially, and was in and out of the sex trade for five years servicing male buyers who knew what “merchandise” they were buying.
“By referring to prostitution as ‘sex work,’ people are trying to cover the sun with one finger. But, the problem is much bigger. I believe they are simply not informed. I want a change for this new generation of transgender women so that they do not have to go through what I went through, because you really do suffer.”
