St. James Infirmary Meets First Funding Goal But More Is Needed

SAN FRANCISCO—St. James Infirmary, which has been serving the adult entertainment and sex worker community for more than a decade, has reached the first plateau in its quest for funds to relocate the clinic from its current space at 1372 Mission Street—but as Executive Director Stephany Ashley points out, much more will be needed to put the clinic on a sustainable financial footing. "In just three days we have raised over $25,000 to help jumpstart our move," Ashley wrote on the GoFundMe website. "With our matching donor, that’s $50,000 we can now use to start working on renovations, tenant improvements, and relocation expenses in our future home, which is becoming more and more real to us every day. We never expected to raise this money so quickly, nor were we prepared for the incredible outpouring of love and support we’ve received. "We will continue to fundraise toward the cost of our new rent, so please keep sharing, please keep donating, please keep us on your lips and in your hearts. We are so much stronger because of you. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!" Many adult performers who live and/or work in the San Francisco area use St. James Infirmary as their primary testing facility, as do the city's sex workers—not too surprising since the organization was named after prostitution legalization activist Margo St. James, whom Realist publisher (and AVN Online columnist) Paul Krassner dubbed "The Realist Nun," for her habit of going about town dressed in a nun's habit. The mission of St. James is to provide compassionate and non-judgmental health care and social services for all sex workers while preventing occupational illnesses and injuries through a comprehensive continuum of services. It is the philosophy of St. James Infirmary to build upon existing skills and strengths in order to allow individuals to determine their own goals while providing culturally competent and non-judgmental services. The Infirmary is run by and serves current and former sex workers from the many sectors of the adult entertainment industry. Donations to St. James Infirmary can continue to be made here.