Please meet the extraordinarily talented members of Team Political Solidarity. I have so much respect for all of these humans and am so grateful to them for their intelligence, creativity, and commitment. There’s no way I could be doing this work without them!
Kerry Porth
Research collaborator and co-author
Kerry is a former sex worker and current sex worker rights activist. She has years of experience working with marginalized people and grassroots movements in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to effect social change through strategic litigation, public education, and advocacy. She has worked on research projects relating to the sex industry and regularly lectures at colleges and universities. Her expertise includes sex work activism, training, policy, law, and governance. Currently, Kerry is employed as a community developer with Living in Community, a non-profit that brings together diverse stakeholders to collaboratively improve the health and safety of sex workers and address community concerns about sex work. She also works as a policy consultant for Pivot Legal Society on their sex workers’ rights campaign. With Genevieve, she has co-authored several articles relating to sex work governance and is co-authoring Political Solidarity. In addition to her academic writing, Kerry has published in numerous popular venues, including the Georgia Straight, The Tyee, and The Conversation. Kerry holds a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University.
Addison Finch
Creative extraordinaire
Addison is a queer, trans, mixed artist, illustrator, and tattooer. He’s interested in desirability and identity, sexual health, and queer iconography. Favourite topics include communication and negotiation, queer and leather history, and identifying wild and wacky local animals. Find his stickers and merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/zebrafiinches/. His portfolio and contact are here: https://addisonfinch.com/
Nadine Flagel
Artist, editor, writer, and researcher
Nadine holds a Ph.D. in English Literature and is a self-taught visual artist. She investigates the repurposing of texts and textiles. Both rely on cutting up existing text(ile)s, on aesthetic and sensual appeal, and on putting old things into new combinations, thereby intensifying and multiplying meanings. Nadine recently held her first solo exhibition; she has taught at SFU and Maiwa School of Textiles, published and presented articles on fiction and textile art, received grants to make art with youth, and collaborated on public art. Find her work on Instagram @pretextstudio. A Vancouver-based settler, Nadine gratefully acknowledges that she lives on unceded land of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səl̓ilwətaɁɬ, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm peoples.
Beatrice Omboga
Researcher and youth culture advisor
Beatrice is the founder and Executive Director of Osiep Nyathi, a non-profit organization that empowers young girls in rural Kenya. Beatrice also works with WISH drop-in center, which serves sex workers based in Vancouver, BC. She holds a master’s degree in Political Science from Simon Fraser University. She is an astute social justice activist and community development champion. Find Beatrice on LinkedIn!
Kerry Waters
Researcher and community advisor
Kerry is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work at NVIT. She has long played a frontline support role in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Her work in the community has included addressing the health and safety of women, trans, and gender-diverse sex workers involved in survival sex work. As a settler, Kerry respectfully acknowledges that she lives in the traditional and unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səl̓ilwətaɁɬ, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm peoples.
Natasha Mhuriro
Researcher and editor
Natasha was born and raised in Zimbabwe. She is grateful to live, work, and learn on the occupied territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam, Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples. Her interests and passions are in public policy, community organizing, and empowering self-identified women. In the near future, she hopes to start initiatives that will encourage young women to foster positive societal change by taking an active role in shaping public, economic and development policies. As a proud African woman, she brings an intersectional lens and leadership practices to foster inclusive opportunities and to advance the participation of those that are usually marginalized. She is inspired and guided by the many teachings and lessons she continues to receive from the Black women in her life.
C Icart
Researcher and editor
C is a Black, queer, and trans student pursuing a master’s in Political Science at Simon Fraser University. Their research interests include queer theory, feminist political theory, and the connection between gender, sexuality, and national identity. When they aren’t working on their degree, they love to write spoken word poetry, go to cafes, and become more familiar with the occupied territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam, Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples they are currently residing on. They dream of a future where everyone is free, and they are committed to doing what they can to work toward that liberation.
Chris Atchison
Resident research methods and technology specialist
Chris is an accomplished health and social science researcher who has spent over two decades designing, conducting, and administering a wide range of regional and national, inter-disciplinary research initiatives. His nomadic journey consulting on various projects in the academic, non-profit, and commercial sectors has seen him contributing his research expertise to studies of youth labour regulation, social welfare, women offenders, sex industry safety and security, health care provision, mental illness, early child development, Indigenous identity and achievement, and health food brand marketing. When he’s not immersed in developing innovative methods for making sense of the social world, he can be found sipping tequila on the beaches of SoCal with his partner in crime.
