Help Hebi Recover and Pay Medical Bills

In January of this year, Hebi (they/them) experienced sexual abuse and sexual assault by their former massage therapist.

The perpetrator had been a part of Hebi's care team for the past year and a half to provide sports-specific aftercare for their job as a club dancer. Hebi reported the perpetrator to the police for a criminal investigation and have filed a TRO (temporary restraining order) against them.

In the meantime, Hebi is recovering from the severe emotional damages of the assault. Hebi is unable to leave their home most days, as it is the only area that is under legal protection through the TRO. They are also unable to return to work, as the clubs on their island lack onsite measures to keep dancers safe from harm.

Hebi primarily danced to pay off personal expenses related to their autoimmune condition. They are asking the community for $4000 to help cover their outstanding personal loans on pet care ($500) and daily autoimmune medication not covered through insurance ($3500). This would help give Hebi the time to heal from the assault with regular therapy.

This campaign will be up until the end of March. Any amount of financial contribution helps put healing back into Hebi's own hands. They also ask for those willing to support through additional or non-monetary means to share the link to the GoFundMe with 3 other people to help them reach their goal.

A note from Hebi:

"Thank you for being here.

My story is unfortunately a common experience for many of us sex work professionals.

It's partly because sex work is a physically and emotionally demanding career.

This is a job that requires that we constantly and successfully protect our privacy, enforce our boundaries, and screen for potential threats of violence both in and out of the workplace.

When it comes to the workplace itself, we aren't guaranteed the same level of legal protections that people who work daytime jobs have.

If we're located in a less progressive area, we often have fewer options for reputable bodyworkers. And if the people we reach out to for bodywork are men or people untrained in our industry-specific needs and have access to our records, it can get dangerous really fast. This is why people in the industry will usually vet them, go through referrals, or go without care.

So why do so many of us seek out services from bodyworkers?

Bodyworkers are people who make a promise to provide physically therapeutic care for their clients. Like sex workers, they also interact with clients in close, safe, confidential quarters. They help ground us after and hold space for us to fully come home to our bodies after a long shift. Because sex work is often done freelance, it's common for us to pay for services out of pocket. They're not covered through insurance, but it's something I've personally budgeted for because the work has helped me so much in the past.

Sex work highlights many of the gender disparities we non-men experience in the entertainment industry, but is often not talked about because of the confidential nature of our work. Likewise, the bulk of stories I hear about sexual assault in bodywork spaces happen by men, inflicted onto non-men. Of those of us who experience sexual violence, many don't report. Of those who report, many don't see their cases receive justice through legal action.

This assault cost me my time, my career, and my wellbeing. But it hasn't cost me my agency. I'm here to not only crowdfund for my own help, but also to raise awareness on the issues we face as a community.

Sex workers are some of the most proactive, compassionate, and resilient people I've ever seen. I think the people who go into it are point-blank awesome. And I think all sex workers and humans deserve a safe space on a treatment table. These bodies of ours deserve to be treated with respect, integrity, and professionalism. No matter the circumstances, and no matter the profession.

Thank you for reading about my experience and helping me take action. No amount of shares, contributions, or conversations with loved ones is too much.

This GoFundMe won't erase what happened to me or anyone else, but I hope that it'll make a difference in how we care for one another.

How we break barriers on sensitive topics.

How we fill in the gaps for each other with love.

Mahalo,

Hebi"

Hebi's former work involves first-person digital storytelling that helps ground sex work in realism. They advocate for women's rights in the workplace and have taught the joy of pole dance to a beautifully gender-diverse population.