Alyssa Tolva

Alyssa Tolva is the branch manager for the Cupcake Girls for Oregon and SW Washington. The Cupcake Girls was founded by Joy Hoover in Las Vegas in 2010 and now has offices in Las Vegas and Portland. The name was given to the organization because cupcakes, along with other self-care activities like hair and nails, were brought to the sex workers to open dialogue. Who can resist the power of a cupcake? Soon, they became known as the Cupcake Girls. The mission of the Cupcake Girls is to provide “confidential support to those involved in the sex industry, as well as trauma-informed outreach, advocacy, holistic resources, and referral services to provide prevention, and aftercare to those affected by sex trafficking.” On my other podcast, Growing Down, I was drawn to learning about different types or categories of politics. Politics of pleasure, or pleasure activism, is one such sub-category that addresses items such as the decriminalization of sex work. New Zealand’s model appears to be the gold standard resulting in a decrease in violence, sexually transmitted infections and human trafficking. Currently, there are efforts being made in Oregon to adopt this model. Alyssa shares what led her to join this organization and why we should all support its mission. You can learn more about the Cupcake Girls, how to volunteer and their fundraisers here: https://thecupcakegirls.org