Local Pervert connected with the lovely Halena Seiferling, Executive Director of Living in Community (LIC), a registered non-profit society and charity based in Vancouver that serves British Columbia and beyond. LIC educates about sex work and its relevant stigmas, advocates for policy changes to support the needs of sex workers, and convenes sex workers, relevant organizations and allies to inform them of said educational offerings and advocacy work. With this in mind, LIC is an organization that enhances safety, well-being and awareness for our valued Local Pervert community members.
Halena Seiferling herself has an impressive work and educational background that we’re swooning over. With a Masters degree in Public Policy, Bachelors degrees in Sociology and International Development, and over 10 years of experience working in non-profit project management, advocacy, event planning and more, Halena has quite an impressive resume.
We feel honoured to have had the chance to connect and learn from her. Although you may feel intimidated by her impressive experience, we’re happy to share that Halena is indeed human. Some fun facts about her include that she is hard of hearing in one ear, learning to sew, and has completed a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) in Cuba. We love learning from supportive and smart humans, and we know you do too, so continue reading to see what Halena has shared with us, Pervs.
LP: Hi Halena, thank you for chatting with us today. We see you have diverse experience in your field. What inspired you to join Living in Community as Executive Director?
H: Thanks for reaching out to talk to us!
I joined Living in Community (LIC) five years ago at a transitional time, when the organization was moving from being a small project to being its own independent non-profit society. I came on board and helped the organization to govern itself as a non-profit and then a charity, as well as to expand our work from mainly the Vancouver area to working more with people across the province of B.C. and beyond the colonial border.
One of the reasons I was interested in joining LIC was because I’m also a dancer and a burlesque performer. After learning more about the histories of burlesque and stripping, and understanding more about how much dancers owe to sex workers in tackling stigma and normalizing so much of this performance art form, I felt this job would allow me to use my skills in advocacy and non-profits to tangibly support and be in solidarity with sex workers.
LP: How has your experience been so far, and how has your role changed over time?
H: The experience has been hugely rewarding, though definitely challenging at times, and has changed a lot! I came on in January 2020, at a time when most meetings were still held in person whenever possible. This meant I had about two months of seeing people in person and beginning to build relationships before our work had to pivot online. So, a major change has been that nowadays our work is mostly virtual, especially as our three staff are spread out across the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island.
This has brought massive accessibility benefits, of course. One of the groups we convene is the BC Sex Work Support Service Network, which is a network of frontline sex worker-serving organizations across B.C. and the Yukon, and for that group we absolutely need to have virtual meetings and trainings so that everyone can participate. It’s been beautiful to see the relationships grow and the best practices evolve as folks in the network have gotten to know each other through these online spaces as well as at an in-person conference we hosted in Vancouver in 2023. Our Education and Training staff have also pivoted to doing our training online, both through live virtual workshops and through four self-directed online courses we developed.
However, one of the biggest challenges recently has been the impacts on sex workers of COVID-19 and the deepening of stigma, discrimination, and lack of access to services. During the pandemic, many sex workers completely or significantly lost their income, and many also struggled to access community services because frontline organizations had to reduce their services and hours. Many sex workers were ineligible for both federal and provincial support, such as the CERB and the BC Emergency Benefit, and faced intensified stigma and judgement about their work, as well as increased surveillance by law enforcement. And in the past few years, with the declaration that the pandemic was “over”, there came the end of so-called “emergency” temporary COVID-19 funding. However, we know that issues like the cost of living, the toxic drug supply, poverty, and homelessness have only gotten worse, and frontline organizations are being asked to do even more than before.
Within this context, I think my role, as well as the role of LIC, has shifted to focus more on advocacy and on making the links between sex workers’ needs and other social justice movements, as we’ve developed closer relationships with anti-poverty organizers, labour unions, anti-violence organizations, and other allies.
LP: With everything that is taking place right now in the world, which trends and events would you say are most impacting your line of work?
H: What comes to mind first is the changing political landscape. Here in British Columbia the B.C. NDP was recently re-elected by a very slim margin, and Canada will be facing a federal election in the coming months with the federal Conservative party currently leading in the polls. And of course, south of the border we are only beginning to see the devastating impacts of President Trump’s policies targeting immigrants and migrants, queer and trans folks, and others who already face systemic oppression and injustice. There is certainly a broad shift toward more conservative, protectionist, xenophobic and austere policies.
When economic times are tough and people are fearful, we often see this move toward scapegoating and targeting the most vulnerable. People don’t want to lose what little they have in these tough times. It is easier to point the finger at someone we consider to be ‘other’ than it is to actually sit down together and work out a plan. But discriminatory policies permit discriminatory behaviour, which normalizes dehumanization, violence and so on. Sex workers unfortunately know this all too well as they have been systemically criminalized, stigmatized and dismissed for decades. Sex workers are also inherently a deeply intersectional community, so any policies targeting folks who are immigrants or migrants, queer or trans, women, disabled, poor and more will also disproportionately impact sex workers.
At the same time, a heartening trend over the past few years has been the number of allies in other sectors who have taken strong stances supporting sex workers’ rights. Examples include Salal Sexual Violence Centre (formerly WAVAW) sharing a public apology to sex workers and a commitment to make their services safe for sex workers, and unions ranging from MoveUP to the BC General Employees’ Union to the BC Federation of Labour passing resolutions in support of sex workers’ rights. We hope to see this trend continue whereby others working for justice recognize their shared goals and take action in solidarity with sex workers.
LP: Do you project any policy changes regarding sex workers for 2025?
H: We certainly have some hopes for 2025!
In BC, we were pleased to see Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity Jennifer Blatherwick name in her statement this past December 17th (International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers) that stigma and criminalization are barriers for sex workers accessing services, as well as champion the Province’s financial support of the BC Bad Date and Aggressor Reporting Project (BC BDAR), which is building a provincially-integrated bad date reporting system for sex workers to share safety information. We hope to see the provincial government continue to support BC BDAR, to fund sex worker organizations and projects, and to ensure policy and customer service-facing staff are educated about sex work stigma and about how to provide person-centered services.
We’re also excited about work on the municipal front. Recently, the City of New Westminster passed Guidelines to Promote Sex Worker Safety, which outline how all City staff must recognize and respect the rights of sex workers in policy, bylaw enforcement, and more. We at LIC held four training sessions for their staff, in partnership with PACE Society, this past fall. New Westminster followed a similar approach taken previously at the City of Vancouver. We hear often from municipalities that they want to ensure their residents are safe and can access the services they need, but they don’t think they can do anything until the federal laws change; we hope more municipalities will see that they actually do have many tools through bylaws, business licensing, staff education, and more that can keep sex workers safe and included. And remember, sex workers are in every community and are residents deserving of municipal services like anyone else.
LP: What is the best lesson you’ve learned in this role?
H: Focus on relationships. We’re asking folks to trust us, to tell us what they want governments and people in power to know, to come to meetings and share about their experiences. This is all very vulnerable and requires us to do everything we can to create spaces that are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accountable. Focusing on relationships means we take the time to really learn about each other, build community, communicate thoroughly and slow down. This can be tough at times, especially when urgent crises are occurring and we’re hearing from sex workers across the province about the critical material needs in their communities. But slowing down also creates room to ask more questions, notice whose voices are missing, let folks think and process information, and recognize too that all of us are human and have differing needs, capacities and abilities each moment of the day. We need to model the kind of communities we are fighting for– ones that move at the speed of trust, that have a place for each of us, and that recognize each of our inherent worth.
LP: What did you wish you knew before starting this role?
H: I’m not sure if there’s anything I wish I knew beforehand! I feel all the lessons I’ve learned through this role have been necessary, both for me to do this job well and for my own personal growth.
LP: What projects have you worked on or launched that you believe have added the most value to our sex work community?
H: We’ve worked on a few projects recently that have been really special and important. One that we’re very excited about is our recently-launched online training. As I mentioned, we have created online, self-directed courses, meaning anyone can register and take the training on their own time, rather than having to book our staff to do a live training. We have four separate courses available, to target content that different folks may want to learn about: Course One is about the roots of sex work stigma and how it impacts sex workers’ access to services, Course Two covers promising practices for frontline service providers working with sex workers, Course Three educates about how different sex work laws (including Canada’s) impact sex workers, and Course Four examines the differences between sex work and human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Another recent project has been the creation of our Advocacy Toolkit. After holding a large provincial conference in late 2023, we wrote a report summarizing the discussions and recommendations attendees made covering health care, housing, legal support, social services, and more. This past fall we released our Advocacy Toolkit, which builds on those recommendations by outlining how people in any sector – like provincial government staff, health care workers, housing providers, and more – can be part of the movement for sex workers’ rights.
Aside from those resources, one of our most important projects is the ongoing provincial network of frontline organizations that we convene. There are currently around 30 sex worker-serving organizations from across all regions of B.C., as well as one organization in the Yukon, that are part of the meetings, trainings, and resource-sharing that we coordinate for the group. This group has added immense value to the sex work community by ensuring that frontline organizations have access to high-quality resources and training and can share their experiences and best practices among their sector.
LP: What are some of your favourite resources to share with sex workers?
H: We encourage sex workers to connect with their local frontline organizations and peer networks (if they haven’t already)!
Folks can use the Find A Service resource on our website to learn more about organizations in their community that provide sex worker-friendly services and programs.
Our online training is also a great resource for sex workers to pass on to organizations or folks they may know who would be open to learning more about sex work.
LP: What upcoming opportunities and events does Living in Community have for sex workers or community members that you would like to share?
H: This February, we’re holding two public webinars for folks to learn more about our Advocacy Toolkit! The webinars are free and we’ll talk about what each level of government does, what recommendations we make to each of them, and how folks in any sector can be part of the movement for sex workers’ rights.
The webinars will be on Tuesday, February 11th, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. PT, and on Tuesday, February 18th, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. PT. Learn more and register here!
We also love to put together customized workshops for different groups. We’re open to all requests for custom live training other than from law enforcement. Folks can get in touch with us to learn more!
LP: A member of the community walks up to you and states that sex work should be illegal and that sex workers are not owed any rights. How do you respond?
H: Haha, wow, what a question. If this situation literally happened, with someone just walking up to me and saying this point-blank, I would probably begin with asking why they felt the need to share this. Did something happen to them personally to inform their opinion? Do they think criminalization is the way to greater safety? Do their views come from a particular religious or moral teaching? Any of these factors would likely impact how I would then respond.
If they persisted that sex work should be illegal, I would likely ask them what they think the impacts would be. I would explain that when sex work is criminalized (as it is now in Canada) it doesn’t mean sex work stops; instead, it means many sex workers move further and further underground, meaning they are more vulnerable to predators, to violence, and to being disconnected from support services. I would ask the person if this aligns with their values for the kind of community they want.
In thinking about this question, one of my staff said, “Ask them: in your day to day life, how are sex workers hurting you by doing their job?” The answer would likely be that they are not actually impacted at all. And then of course the question becomes: then why are you so upset about what other consenting adults do?
LP: Thank you for sharing your story and insights, Halena! We look forward to seeing and supporting your work in our community.
H: Thank you again for the opportunity to share more about our work!