Rethink Resources

Tomorrow I’ll be presenting on harm reduction basics as a part of a day-long training at the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network on ‘Safety Planning for Real People.

I started thinking about how harm reduction has a negative reputation many places still. Sure in California or NYC people consider harm reduction to make great sense and make sure it’s included in the range of options. And within different fields like HIV prevention, harm reduction is respected as an ethical and sound practice in the prevention of minor and major health issues like infections (including all the sexually transmitted ones), hepatitis, drug overdose, abscesses – which are another kind of infection, but anyway. In my hometown of Chicago, and really most of the Midwest, harm reduction remains misunderstood and disparaged.

I think what concerns me most as I thought about it this morning is that I don’t see harm reduction as a ’second best option’. Even some who support harm reduction suggest that abstinence (from sex, drugs, sex for money) is the most ideal and remain disappointed when someone doesn’t move towards some predefined ideal. For myself though, I’m not a reluctant harm reductionist. I love harm reduction because it’s a practice based in love, wholeness, positivity, and justice.

A lot of people have asked me how I can be so positive working with youth in the sex trade who are appear (to them) to be so resistant to change and complying with rules. I think it’s partly because the youth are brilliant and amazing but it’s partly because I don’t feel the need to control their actions - either through disappointment or withholding access to opportunities.

Harm reduction gives me an ethical, responsive practice to work from with youth in the sex trade. I’m happy to share those ideas tomorrow in Chicago.