Pam
Vessels worked with the Waikiki Health Center as a HIV/AIDS educator
on the streets of Waiikiki from 1988 to 1998, a period when the sex
industry was booming - paralleling the US and Japan economies.
Selling
sex on the most happening part of Waikiki's main street, Kalakaua Avenue,
was known as being 'On the Track'. The 100 to 150 women working this
area were considered high end sex workers and the hours were long and
hard.
Pam,
affectionately dubbed "The Condom Lady" of Waikiki, passed
out close to half a million condoms, organized numerous community building
and educational activities, advocated against police harassment and
abuse, and produced a monthly newsletter called "On The Track,"
a newsletter exclusively for sex workers. Chock full of humor and sass,
it creatively delivered sex safety information, tips on where to get
affordable and safe abortions as well as more mundane stuff like the
best places to get your high-heel shoes repaired. Since sex workers
on the track in Waikiki were mostly from the continental US and often
started in the business when quite young, the knowledge contained in
this newsletter was frequently the first time they were given the information
most relevant to their profession. |