LOS ANGELES — Domino Presley has launched the "Jazmin Shibata Scholarship" to support trans sex workers.
The scholarship will allow recipients to attend adult industry trans activist and therapist trainee Kristel Penn's virtual support group for trans sex workers, hosted by the LGBTQ Center in Orange County. It will also help fund assessments and letters of support from Penn for transition-related medical care.
"A lot of girls can’t afford getting paperwork done that’s necessary for them to further their transition," said Presley. "They’re already struggling to pay rent, get medications, get insurance, pay for laser, and save for surgeries, and they have to deal with society on top of that. I’ve known Kristel for basically my entire career and she has helped my community in so many ways that often go unnoticed. When Kristel was telling me about this new group she had started and the letters of support she’s been writing for many trans folks, I immediately wanted to support in any way I possibly could."
Penn praised Presley for extending support.
"For as long as I’ve known Domino, she has been a vocal advocate for mental health particularly for the trans sex worker communit," she said. "I have seen her use her platform so many times (and often without credit) to elevate the voices of other trans sex workers, but especially ones with smaller platforms than her or ones who are further marginalized in our industry. She is arguably one of the most well-known trans performers in our industry and I really respect that she wants to use her own resources to help others access care that may not be affordable to them otherwise."
Trans sex workers interested in receiving the scholarship can contact Penn at kristel.yoneda@lgbtqcenteroc.org.