SW Advocate Paralyzed from the Waist Down

Hi everyone,

If you're someone who cares about sex workers rights, you may have heard of Nicole Gilliland (or Niki, as she prefers to be called) who won a landmark lawsuit against a community college that forced her out of nursing school due to her past as an adult performer. Niki stood up to that discrimination an WON, paving the way for sex workers in the future to fight back against unfair treatment. Niki's experience inspired her to go to law school so she can provide legal support to other sex workers facing harassment, discrimination, child custody disputes, and judgment. She's one year away from graduating!

Anyways, Niki has had a terrible turn of luck. A few weeks ago, Niki noticed tingling in her toes. Eventually, she started having a hard time walking. Niki is now paralyzed from the waist down and in the hospital being treated for Gullain-Barre syndrome, which is an auto-immune disease. She cannot walk, and she cannot feel her legs, she cannot drive. Doctors estimate it will take her at least 6 months to rehabilitate and be able to walk again.

Niki is committed to finishing law school while she's in recovery. Niki is committed to using her skills as a lawyer to helping our sex worker community, but she needs our help right now.

We are trying to raise $2,000 per month for the next 6 months to help her cover basic needs and additional costs related to the rehabilitation (wheelchair, shower chair, cab fair to therapy, etc).

A note on Niki's lawsuit...she won a $1.7 million settlement, but the community college is appealing the decision. This means Niki cannot access this settlement for a long, long time. When she does, Niki vows to give back to the community that is helping her during this unexpected health crisis.

For further transparency, Niki had a GoFundMe in 2019 when she was homeless and living in a woodshed due to the discrimination she experienced in Oregon. With the small amount of assistance she received then, she went from a dire situation to graduating with her bachelor's with full honors. With this assistance, she will graduate law school next spring and become a lawyer for our community.

I know Niki personally and am distraught by her situation. She is a strong advocate, a true fighter for what is right. I hope you join me in helping Niki through this challenging time.