Sex.com and several Bay-area gentlemen’s clubs are pitching in to help the St. James Infirmary – the only primary care clinic in the nation providing care to self-identified sex workers.
St. James was founded in June 1999 to deliver non-judgmental, comprehensive health care and social services to Bay-area sex workers, but as the end of the year approaches the facility finds itself with a $74,000 budget shortfall. If the shortfall is not made up, St. James would have to decrease the number of days per week its doors are open, from three to possibly one, and cut some staff, according to St. James development director Teri Goodson.
In order to help the St. James Infirmary, the local Adult community has stepped forward with the goal of raising $80,000 to keep the facility running at its current level – three days a week, three hours a day. November 13 has been designated St. James Infirmary Health Day and several Adult clubs and exotic dancers have agreed to donate 10 percent of the day’s profits.
Terrance Alan, St. James board member, chairman of San Francisco Late Night Coalition and founding president of San Francisco’s Entertainment Commission, has led the fundraising charge.
“For me this became a very large political issue. I wanted to show that the erotic industry in San Francisco could reach out and take care of itself, of its employees’ health care needs,” Alan told AVNOnline.com. “That to me is very critical in shifting the philosophy in the minds of people who think the Adult industry is that dirty little business in the corner that we don’t talk about and doesn’t care about anything but money.”
The drive started with the gentlemen’s clubs and others soon followed suit.
Adult search engine Sex.com donated $5,000 to the cause November 4. “Adult companies have broad responsibilities concurrent with the freedoms they have,” said Sex.com CEO Gary Kremen. “This is one of the efforts Sex.com is making to fulfill its responsibilities.”
BSC Management, which operates several clubs including Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club, Broadway Showgirls Cabaret, and Centerfolds, is targeting a 10,000-dollar donation.
“While most of our dancers might wince at the thought of being called a sex worker, they know the importance of the services St. James Infirmary provides and will be glad to help,” BSC president Joe Carouba said.
St. James Infirmary currently receives around 70 percent of its funding from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Goodson said. Alan said he hopes to supplement that with an annual fundraising drive in partnership with the local Adult community.
Secure, anonymous donations can be made to the cause here.
