I’m Jessica — the new Executive Director of Audre Lorde Project.

New York City raised me: I was a queer homeless teen in the sex trade who left NYC in search of safety. I’ve spent the past decade pouring my energy into projects to build safety with and for LGBTSTGNC folks in Los Angeles and Washington, DC — from grassroots fundraising for youth shelters in LA to working alongside trans and queer sex workers of color to resist criminalization of the sex trades and building a network of nightlife venues with staff trained to cultivate safer spaces across DC. This year, facing loss and new life in my own family helped me remember: the revolution starts at home.