Putting The Calendar Funds To Work

If you’ve been wondering what Sex Work Awareness does with the funds raised by the calendar sales one is to fund the Speak Up! Media Training for Empowered Sex Workers which was held in NYC this past year.  It is also where I first met Megan Andelloux when I attending the celebration party held afterward.

Megan put those skills that she learned at the first Speak Up! when she spoke out against changing the indoor prostitution laws in her state of Rhode Island and then again when she faced challenges to the opening of her non-profit facility The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health.

On Monday, Megan will go in front of the Pawtucket, RI zoning to try and receive permission to open her center.  Below is a copy of the press release she has written.

The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health Appeals Pawtucket Zoning Decision

Pawtucket, RI November 26, 2009 – The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health (CSPH), the first non-profit sexuality resource and information center in South Eastern New England, is set to go before the appeal board on November 30^th @ 630pm to challenge a zoning decision that prevented it from opening in September.

After a controversial zoning decision was made by Pawtucket zoning officer Ron Travers, The CSPH was not permitted to open. The reason for denial was a lack of zoning clause for “education” to take place within The Grant Building. The CSPH was not permitted to open because its mission states it works to provide education.

After numerous national and local news organizations picked up the story and interviewed city officials, it became clear that the Pawtucket city officers had given pre-textual reasons for not allowing The CSPH to open. Harvey Goulet, the City’s director of administration, was quoted as objecting to “this type of business” as “not really something we feel is appropriate for our city.” The ACLU has weighed in on the battle regarding adult sex education stating in a press release “the city’s intent is to suppress the speech that would occur at the Center.  Such content-based discrimination raises serious constitutional concerns.”

Liberal, conservative, moderate and libertarian news media have all been in favor to allow The CSPH to open and they agree that the location and the presentation are appropriate for the environment it is currently housed in. Neighbors of The CSPH have housed petitions requesting the center to be able to open. Providence Journal writer Bob Kerr and popular conservative talk radio host Dan Yorke have both voiced support for The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health.

Ms. Andelloux, the director of the non-profit Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health is a certified sexuality educator who wants to provide the adult community with a safe place to access information about sexuality issues.  The Appeal Board meeting will take place in the Monday, November 30^th, at the Pawtucket City Hall, 3^rd floor at 630pm.  The public is invited to attend.

For questions or statements contact Megan Andelloux at 401.345.8685

**If you are not able to attend the meeting Monday night you can still fax a letter to (401)772-3356 or call (401) 728-0500 and ask for Anna Salum to voice your concern on Monday. Here is a sample copy of one:

Appeal Board

137 Roosevelt Avenue

Pawtucket, RI 02860

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Dear Members of the Appeal Board,

I am writing on behalf of The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health (CSPH) and it’s founder/director, Megan Andelloux. I want to voice my support for The CSPH, the positive work it will do and the vital services it will provide.

As a person I appreciate that there will be a place where one may openly seek medically accurate, safe information about a subject that is often hard to address. As a business owner, I appreciate the passion and dedication that Ms. Andelloux is applying to starting a ground-breaking, non-profit organization in Pawtucket, RI.

Lastly, as a concerned citizen outside of Pawtucket, I am in shock that the members of this city would object to bringing more revenue and visitors because they believe of a “lack of zoning”. I have been reading the newspaper articles since the beginning of this situation and it has become glaring obvious that this lack of zoning is a veiled attempt to cover the city’s panic about talking openly on sexuality issues.  With prevailing attitudes like this, it is apparent to me that the CSPH is arriving just in the nick of time to open our minds and our hearts to a world of new possibilities.

I urge you to support the entrepreneurship of Ms. Andelloux and to support the growth of Pawtucket through business people who think outside the box.

Sincerely yours,

In 2010 Sex Work Awareness will again hold more Speak Up’s and the sales from the 2010 calendar will help to fund them. You can contribute to that by purchasing a calendar today. 100% of the profits from the 2010 NYC Sex Blogger Calendar goes to Sex Work Awareness.

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