A transgender New York City woman who was arrested in a prostitution sting eight years ago is running for city council, The New York Post reported.
Elisa Crespo, 30, was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, in November of 2012 after allegedly posting a prostitution ad on the internet only to be met by a pair of undercover cops posing as men seeking oral sex, according to the New York Post. The 30-year-old is looking to obtain Councilman Richie Torres’ 15th district seat following his election to Congress, the Post reported.
Crespo, who claims to be “no longer engaged in sex work,” blamed the arrest on “a lack of job opportunities for trans women of color.”
“I was in a complicated struggle to make ends meet,” Crespo said at a rally, according to the New York outlet. “A lack of job opportunities for trans women of color led me to sex work. Through this experience I wound up in Florida, where I was arrested and incarcerated with cisgender men. That moment transformed my life forever. It helped me begin my journey in civic engagement.”
The aspiring councilwoman was born male and transitioned to female at the age of 15, according to the Post. Crespo, who holds a political science degree from John Jay College, defended previous sex work and said that rivals were seeking to “weaponize transphobia.”
“It’s shameful. People are upset at the momentum my campaign is getting,” Crespo said, according to the Post. “Sex work is work.”
We’re winning! If you believe in supporting candidates free from the biases, bigotries and narrow mindedness of the politics of the past – donate today so we can keep up this fight. https://t.co/sOweA2NwhC pic.twitter.com/HR5LlgdgVC
— Elisa Crespo (@elisacresponyc) November 29, 2020
Crespo is one of seven people vying for the 15th district seat, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Crespo is also a member of the Democratic Socialist of America’s Bronx chapter and has expressed support for the decriminalization of prostitution, according to the Post. (RELATED: 28 Congressional Democrats Sign Letter Demanding Department Of Education Allow Biological Males In Girls’ Sports)
The 30-year-old was included on a Vice News list of 21 transgender candidates that could obtain office throughout the Nov. 3 election and beyond. Crespo would be the first trans person of color to sit on the city council in the Boroughs, Vice reported.
Crespo has nearly 3,000 followers on Twitter, where the transgender woman announced a platform of “Jobs & Justice.”
Crespo’s campaign did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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