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[title]Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx
The Body Archive Gallery
Whether the fetish du jour is scarification or rope bondage, this is one art gallery that never shies away from the controversial or sexy. Gallerista Steven Speliotis has several projects in the works, including an exhibit featuring the photos of Efraim Gonzalez, famed for his candids of old-school transvestites and prostitutes. 9 Ninth Ave between Little W 12th and 13th Sts (no phone)
Conversio Virium
Columbia isn't all stuffy academia—just ask members of Conversio Virium, one of the nation's oldest on-campus BDSM education groups. It meets every Monday during the academic year from 9 to 11pm at Hamilton Hall (1130 Amsterdam Ave at 116th St). Sessions typically welcome a notable member of the kink and BDSM community; president Elizabeth B. says that past talking points have included bondage, knife play, hypnotism and flogging. Membership is offered to Columbia undergrads after they've attended three meetings, though anyone can show up to an event, including townies. conversiovirium.org
DDevious Delights
After a four-month hiatus, this swingers' club is back in action and on the prowl for a new permanent location (it was pushed out of its last space, on 29th Street). On the agenda: the intimate party PlayGroup, designed to be smaller and more action-packed. "It's very intense," says DDD founder Saul. "You can have 15 to 20 people in a pile sometimes." ddeviousdelights.com
LeRoi Manhattan
LeRoi has gotten its fair share of pussy. And cock. And nipples. Store manager and piercer Pete says dozens of New Yorkers stop by the shop every week to get holes punched in their nether regions. Clients range from "girls turning 19 to 50-year-old soccer moms, trying to spice things up." 174 Ludlow St between E Houston and Stanton Sts (212-253-6402, leroimanhattan.com )
Poleriders
The city's first wheel-drawn pole-dancing spectacular has cycled its way around Union Square and the Lower East Side. The mobile show enlists about a half dozen dancers, who generally grind to their own iPod tunes. "Manhattan oozes steamy sex," says founder Andrew Katzander. "Where do you think all the humidity comes from?" For show schedule and pole-dancing class info, visit poleriders.net.
The Spanking Club of New York
SCONY founder Ms. Margaret has been in the spanking biz for more than ten years, hosting monthly events at the LGBT Community Center (208 W 13th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves; 212-620-7310, gaycenter.org). Bottoms can choose to get spanked with or without clothes, though most of the ladies rock a thong. There are spaces for public play and cubicles equipped with Western saddles for a little private action. Scony.com
The Standard Hotel
Get thee to the High Line for an impromptu peep show. Reports of schlongs and sexcapades visible through the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows are rampant. "It's all day every day," says Stephanie of London Meats, which sits right across the street. She's seen everything from movies being made to naked women prancing in front of the windows. The guests' antics have even thrown a wrench in production—the loading dock's male employees are captivated by the show. "Everybody stops working," she says. "Two even have binoculars." 848 Washington St at 13th St (212-645-4646, standardhotels.com)
The Museum of Sex
There are 24,000 erotic artifacts at MoSex (233 Fifth Ave at 27th St; 212-689-6337, museumofsex.com), including 19th-century brothel guides and bare-booty coins used as peep-show currency in Times Square. Even the building is rumored to be a former whorehouse. Mark your calendar for two big MoSex goings-on: the November unveiling of its brand-new store, and the October 1 opening of photographer Michael Grecco's "Naked Ambition," featuring roughly 70 slick portraits of Jenna Jameson, Tera Patrick, Ron Jeremy and other glory ho's.
The West Side Club
"Sex is not permitted here: [If] we find out somebody does that, we kick them out," says one WSC staffer who asks to remain anonymous. "This is a social club, not a sex club." So what does a $40-a-year membership to this exclusive Chelsea locale buy? Round-the-clock access to showers, a locker room and suites (in which the only furniture is a bench). Of course, rumor has it that you go here for more than a steamy rub-a-dub-dub. We found several Craigslisters looking to hook up here and blog entries about sexual rendezvous at WSC. 27 W 20th St between Broadway and Sixth Ave (212-691-2700, westsideclubnyc.com)
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Comstock Films
Started in 1995, this husband-and-wife production company specializes in crafting "tenderhearted romantic comedies, shot documentary-style with explicit sex scenes." Although husband Tony is skeptical about Manhattan's inherent sexiness ("People come here to work—they don't come to fuck"), there is something to be said for the fact that Comstock's first crop of featured couples are all Manhattanites. comstockfilms.com
Dark Alley Media
Porno king Owen Hawk (see page 20) runs the very raunchy Dark Alley Media from the fifth floor of a building in Columbus Circle, and has worn every hat in the business: producer, director and star. Dark Alley's first movie was Mutiny, shot aboard the Frying Pan. "We did the whole thing on a microbudget, probably $7,000, and pulled a ton of favors to get it done," says Hawk. "It's the story of an evil captain who abuses his crew until they launch a mutiny against him—which of course means a gang bang in porn world." darkalley.com
Femme Productions
Candida Royalle, a former adult-film star whose feminist leanings inspired her to establish a porn empire devoted to chick-pleasing films, knew Manhattan was the place to be. "The ladies of Porn Valley are all, like, from the Midwest—perfect milk-fed little girls that aren't smart or interesting," says the Femme Productions founder, who's based in Soho. "There's uniqueness in New York." candidaroyalle.com
The Manhattan Madam
"The glass ceiling in business is so low for women you have to lay down," jokes Kristin "Manhattan Madam" Davis, a hedge-funder-cum-escort-queen who ran her empire from an apartment in the Corinthian at 38th Street and First Avenue. Though her business hit some notable speed bumps shortly after ex-governor Eliot Spitzer joined the fold, she says the Manhattan escort scene is kickin'—adding that there is "about one girl working on every block." manhattanmadam.com
New York's sexiest bull
What is it about the Wall Street bull? The poor thing has endured multiple naked/sexual ordeals over the past year, including a Zach Hyman photo shoot (he of naked-at-the-Met fame), an underwear-clad dude passed out atop him and the (symbolic?) painting blue of his bronze genitals.—Amanda Younger
The stats
162: Sets of fake boobs jiggling lady lumps superstar plastic surgeon Dr. Darrick Antell (antell-md.com) has implanted in Manhattanites over the past year. Antell says most Manhattan women go up one cup size, or 250 to --350ccs
19--58: The age range of Antell's boob-job patients in 2009
3: The number of plastic surgeons' wives Antell has operated on
7: The number of Golden Pasties burlesque dancer Angie Pontani has won; they're considered the Oscars of the burlesque world, and the crowning jewel of the annual New York Burlesque Festival. This year's awards ceremony will go down at (Le) Poisson Rouge on October 4. thenewyorkburlesquefestival.com
Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx
Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx
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Brown Bag Parties, Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant
Jerneal Edmund started working as a "sextoyologist" for Brown Bag Parties—think Tupperware parties, but with dildos and body oils— this summer. Still, in the two dozen soireesparties she's hosted, Edmunds has seen some trends: Williamsburg events can get raucous, thanks to all the fans of leaning toward the Rabbit vibrator and ben wa balls, while Bed-Stuy is more staid, favoring creams and candles. Not totally coincidentally, the 35-year-old mother of three jokes she hopes to move to Williamsburg soon. (brownbagparty.com, designedforpassion.com)
Fondle
South Brooklyn Pizza made waves in February when it launched Fondle, a weekly gay night featuring go-go dancers. It looked for a while like the police might shut the event down under city cabaret laws. But Ruben Alban, the pizza place's manager, says things settled a bit once the media attention passed. "The big issue was that it's a real Catholic neighborhood," he says. "People were sort of thrown off by it." Now there's a truce and Fondle is a Monday-night fixture, though not without grumbling from some neighbors. 451 Court St at 4th Pl, Carroll Gardens (718-852-6018)
Kings County, Bushwick
Andrew Michael Ford curates a regular photography exhibit at this bar, and when he noticed he was getting several fetish-style submissions for every show, he decided the kinky stuff merited a spotlighta show of its own, startopening Saturday 19. Ford says he and co-curator Marisa Olney are planning sequels too, and he'll be sexing-up his regular weekly events at the bar with burlesque and go-go dancing. In a more open-minded time, the fetish photographers "probably would have been snwrapped up by galleries in Manhattan somewhere," says Ford. "But because there's so few opportunities to show their work, they're really eager to show [it here], even if it's in a bar." 286 Seigel St between Bogart and White Sts (718-418-8823)
KinkyJews' Passover seder
For four years now, Jews and goyim looking to spice up the holy week have turned to the Passover seder hosted by the KinkyJews, a group with more than 2,000 members in its online community. The seder is a Brooklyn affair, and its 100 or so seats always sell out. Here's how it works: After a traditional seder meal—leavened with erotic storytelling—the tables are put away and mattresses come out for massages, sex play, S&M demonstrations and more. KJ founder and president Naomi D. shrugs off the annual criticism from her faith's more conservative adherents. "If they did take part, they'd see that it's done in the spirit of togetherness," she says, adding that Passover is a good fit. "It just lends itself very well to themes of slavery and bondage." kinkyjews.com
3rd Ward
The erotic-photography class at design center 3rd Ward used to feature professional models brought in by the instructor, Chiun Kai Shih. But for recent sessions, students have had to find their own subjects. "The challenge is, how are you going to get somebody to put themselves in a compromising pose, get a little bit naked?," says J. Perelmuter, the center's education director. The weekly class, whose next session runs October 7 through November 4, culminates with a group show. 573 Metropolitan Ave between Lorimer and Union Aves, Williamsburg (718-715-4961, 3rdward.com)
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Bustpup
Some would call it a dream job. For Eric, who organizes porn screenings for Brooklyn's Bustpup, it's just a chance to get some reading done. Bustpup—which is basically a porn market-research company—finds audience members through word of mouth or, occasionally, on Craigslist, to watch unreleased half-hour scenes from sites like Backseat Bangers and College Fuckfest and rate them, at $25 a pop. The screenings take place either in the volunteers' apartments or in Eric's Crown Heights pad, and the producers use these sessions to decide what goes into their movies. The scenes are straight, gay and everything in between, 120-plus of them a week, and 24-year-old Eric is there for every viewing. "I will pay attention and watch some of them," he says. "Other times I'll have The New York Times in hand." The questions they face range from the general to the very specific: "I'm told to tell people, 'If you need to pleasure yourself at some point in the film, do it,'" says Eric. "One of the questions is, 'At what point did you ejaculate?'" So are they taking sign-ups? "Nope," Eric says. "I don't want new people coming over to my apartment every day. I want the same people that I have grown friendships with. They get paid, we get paid, it all works out."
Club Casbar
Casbar, a sex club in the former Fetish Warehouse space adjacent to the Gowanus Expressway, got a New York Times write-up on February 25, but was shut down in April after undercover city inspectors said they saw "high-risk sexual activity" there. The club's owner, Rudy C., tells TONY he has been lying low, but isn't gone for good. "We are trying to work with the health department and the city to provide a safer environment for people who prefer this type of lifestyle," says Rudy. A proposal for a new venue, complete with disease-awareness programs, is forthcoming. But the old spot—with its glory holes, tie-up cage and baked ziti buffet—is history. "They completely killed the scene [there]," gripes Rudy. "If you want to know, the nightlife in New York City is dead and has been for a long, long time. This has become a very boring city." clubcasbar.com
Foodswings
Tempeh Reuben. Hard-core porn. Great tastes that taste great together? They did for a few shining moments in December 2008 at this vegan fast-food joint. Credit former chef-owner Freedom Tripodi for the combination: He invited friends from Burning Angel, a porn production company based in the neighborhood, to shoot scenes there, as well as regular customer and lesbian porn star Madison Young (Lesbian Life: Real Sex NYC). "We did catch a lot of bad publicity for doing the Burning Angel stuff at first," says Tripodi. "The vegan community is a little on the politically correct side." Young's shoot was likely the last; Tripodi sold the resto a few weeks later, and the new owners say there are no more plans for porn. Still, next time you stop by for a soy turkey club hero, try to guess where Madison Young had her...feast. 295 Grand St between Havemeyer and Roebling Sts, Williamsburg (718-388-1919, foodswings.net).—Jake Mooney
The stats
500 feet: The distance adult businesses are supposed to maintain between each other under city law
5: The number of adult video stores between 35th and 45th Streets on Sunset Park's Third Avenue
2: The number of storefront Pentecostal churches along the same stretch
10 feet: The distance between the front doors of Las Video (3906 Third Ave) and Iglesia Pentecostal Alfa y Omega (3908 Third Ave)
1: The number of times Rev. Miguel Nieves, Iglesia Pentecostal Alfa y Omega's pastor, has been propositioned for sex outside his church
Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx
Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx
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Bailarina bars
Queens is a haven for bailarina bars, places where men (usually Latino) pay to dance with scantily clad women. No, not lap dances—the kind of dance you did at your high-school prom. You'll know you're in the right place when you spot the darkened windows and bright signs advertising VENGA Y BAILE. The most famous of these is El Flamingo (85-12 Roosevelt Ave between 85th and 86th Sts, Jackson Heights), but bailarina bars dot Roosevelt Avenue between 72nd and 90th Streets.
Gay strippers
Hank Krumholz, cochairman of the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee, recommends Club Atlantis (76-19 Roosevelt Ave at 77th St, Jackson Heights; 718-457-3939, clubatlantisnyc.com) for great drink specials, go-go boys galore and strippers every Thursday ($5 cover). For girl-on-girl action, Latina lesbians like Bum Bum Bar (63-14 Roosevelt Ave between 63rd and 64th Sts, Woodside; 718-651-4145).
Hot-sheet motels
Pay-by-the-hour motels abound in Queens. Three of the most popular spots are the Airport Motor Inn (153-99 Rockaway Blvd at 140th St, South Jamaica;718-276-3800), Boulevard Motor Inn (76-02 Queens Blvd at Jacobus St, Woodside; 718-457-1400) and Kew Motor Inn (139-01 Grand Central Pkwy at Charter Rd, Kew Gardens Hills; 718-969-3000, kewmotorinn.com).
London Boutique, Jackson Heights
Never suffer a boring night in Queens again! This well-stocked sex shop sells red-hotsexy DVDs (three for $10), poppers, strap-ons, edibile undies, party supplies and even the Bottoms Up 3 -Way Butt Blast (use your imagination). 78-031 Roosevelt Ave between 78th and 79th Sts, Jackson Heights (347-531-0809, myspace.com/london_boutique)
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Hell Gate Social
This bar racked up 22 violation points on its February 2009 inspection, none of which mentioned porn star Misti Dawn getting down and dirty there while filming Burning Angel's 27-minute porno "Health Inspection." 1221 Astoria Blvd between 12th and 14th Sts, Astoria (718-204-8313, hellgatesocial.com)
32nd Ave and Farrington St
Flushing's prostitution sweet spot. "There are definitely problems on that street," says one officer from the 109th Precinct. "You get rid of them one day and they come back the next."
Celebrity snatch!, Long Island City
Jonathan Horowitz's "And/Or," on view at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center through Monday 14, features a PhotoShopped image of Britney Spears's bare crotch on a picture of Katie Couric. 22-25 Jackson Ave at the 46th Ave (718-784-2084, ps1.org)
Adios, sadists
Sir Alex used to run Queens BDSM and often hosted kinky demos at the then-Elks-owned Elks Lodge Local 878 (82-20 Queens Blvd at Simonson St, Elmhurst). "They were normally about a specific theme or how to do it safer," says Alex. "Bondage [included] rope, chains and locks, leather cuffs and handcuffs." He disbanded Queens BDSM in 2001, a Korean Church took over the lodge, and Sir Alex says local S&M outings are more or less nonexistent these days. Anthony Duque, manager of the London Boutique, concurs: "There is no S&M scene around here; that's why we don't have leather stuff."
Adios, gay bath houses
In 1994, a man died in a fire that destroyed the Northern Men's Sauna & Health Club (33-61 Farrington St between 33rd and 35th Aves, Flushing; 718-445-9775), a notorious gay sex spot in Flushing. It's since been rebuilt and functions as an all-male spa, but not to the glory of its heyday.—Linnea Covington
The stats
242: The number of M4W posts inmade under Craigslist's Casual Encounters' section for Queens in a recent seven-day period
A sampling from the most verbose post: "I want to have a very erotic fetish/domination encounter with an open-minded older Russian woman who is not a professional dominatrix but who is turned on by the idea of having a good-looking stranger obey without question her every kinky demand."
80: The number of M4W posts
44: The number of W4M posts
12: The number of W4W posts
1,119: The number of registered sex offenders currently living in Queens
84: The number of Queens locations where you can pick up a NYC condom, including Murda Ink Tattoos (168-30 Jamaica Ave at 168th St, Jamaica) and The Corner Laundromat (25-58 18th St at 26th Ave, Astoria).
32: The number of strip clubs in Queens
6: The number of strip clubs in Long Island City
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Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx
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Connie's Sex Parties
The elusive Connie advertises her weekly swingers' party in the The Village Voice classifieds section, inviting couples and singles into her private home for "drinks, food and lots of adult fun."
Planet Pleasure
At night this novelty retailer morphs into a "couple-friendly, girl-friendly lounge." Expect to be chatted up by co-owner Sonny, the self-dubbed "Hugh Hefner of Staten Island...minus the millions"; he'll proffer sexual advice to anyone within earshot. 41 Victory Blvd at Bay St (718-447-8600, myspace.com/planet_pleasure)
Nitecap Video
Staten Island bad-mouthers, meet NYC's biggest sex shop, a brightly lit warehouse stocked with love swings, lube, dildos, and such fine DVD titles as Grannies Love Trannies ($29.99). Why go when you can order the same thing online, sans shame? "People want to touch and see it before they use it," says Nitecap employee Jacqueline. 690 Gulf Ave at Forest Ave (718-370-8100, nitecapvideo.com)
The King of Tickle
Tommy McNeil, a.k.a. Staten Island's "King of Tickle," teases feet, ribs, armpits and other PG sensitive parts in what has become a booming fetish enterprise. While the King doesn't do raunchy, you can interpret his services however you like. tickleabuse.com
Lipsticks Club
This topless bar is located in a strip mall, right near a Top Tomato supermarket and Victory Gymnastics studio. We asked one Victory employee (who chooses to remain anonymous) if parents ever express concern about their precious babies training so close to stripper poles. "Constantly," she says. "But it's not too big a deal. They operate at different hours than we do, so there's not much overlap." 3575 Victory Blvd between Crane St and Travis Ave (718-761-1461)
Philip Garippa
Dr. Phil , licensed clinical social worker and the Island's only certified sex therapist, treats erectile dysfunction and the sex disorder vaginismus, among other things. Some couples come to him after "five to ten years without having intercourse," when they want kids. "I've treated 30 or 40 people and had a 100 percent success rate," he says. "[Those who wanted to] have all gotten pregnant. A couple of them even named their kids after me, which is cool!" 2907 Amboy Rd at Amber St (718-442-6552)
QSINY Bar, Midland Beach
QSINY is the first full-time gay bar and restaurant to open on Staten Island in nearly 15 years. Owner Jim McKkernan, a fifth-generation Islander, founded it with his partner, Ray Carr, because "it's expensive to get off the island! This is home, and it's nice to be able to stay home and be gay." As another resident told us, "Before Q, we had to meet online, ...or in bushes or parking lots." Check out homegrown drag queen Luscious Lola's shows every Friday night; otherwise, Thursdays are for guys, Wednesdays are for girls, and the rest of the nights are mixed. 632 Midland Ave at Patterson AveOutwater Ln (800-QSINY22, qsiny.com).
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Pop-up brothels
There's still a "stroll" between the St. George courthouse and the projects, but according to former social worker John Molina, many sex workers have set up temporary brothels all over the island: "Four or five get together and rent a house, and have the gentlemen come there," he says. "They share expenses and feel safer."—Steven W. Thrasher
The stats
1: Number of Republican congressmen representing New York City in 2008
100: Percentage of Republican congressmen representing New York City in 2008 embroiled in a sex scandal
0: Number of Republican congressmen representing New York City in 2009
Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx
Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx
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Badabing
Fans jonesing for a real-life hit of The Sopranos will be disappointed by this under-the-Bruckner strip club in Hunts Point; the only thing it shares with Tony and Big Pussy's favorite hang is its name. The draw here, rather, is the onstage shower show, in which guests can help clean the ladies. And don't expect to find any Mafioso action, either—the club sits across the street from the NYPD's 41st Precinct. 1098 Lafayette Ave at Garrison Ave (718-328-2052, myspace.com/badabingofny)
Big Men of Color Sex Party
This weekly orgy takes place in a Highbridge apartment building and is specifically for " big men of color...and the men who love them." It that that, on the night we attended, had a courtyard full of children playing in kiddie pools. Twenty bucks pays your admission and covers a secure bag check, condoms, lube, and unlimited drinks and snacks. (Make use of the bar, but skip the food platters—you know where people's hands have been.) The scene attracts a wide variety of thugs, jocks and bears in all shades and sizes. Anything goes in the Play Room, but only a handful of guys engage in hard-core action; most just stand around with their dicks in their hands. Relax between orgasms in the Living Room, you can relax between orgasms while eavesdropping on the same type of chatter you'd hear at any other New York party ("How much does he pay for this place?!?"). Tip: Keep your shoes on when you check your clothes; the floors can be slippery. For party location, dates and times, e-mail bmocoparty@gmail.com.
Cruising spots
There's no shortage of brothers on the DL here—or places for them to meet: under the freeway behind Yankee Stadium; the men's room at Orchard Beach; the Fordham and Bedford Park subway stations; the steam room at Bally Total Fitness in Fordham; even the last two cars on the 4 train.
Metro Motel
Rooms at this nondescript motel double as porno sets a few nights a month; XXX producer Mack has been filming here for almost a decade. "We find most of our girls in the Bronx in the clubs, or on MySpace," he says. "We pay them $100 to $300 to shoot a 20-minute video." Want to earn some spare change? Call Mack at 646-257-6575. 691 E 241st St between Pugsley Rd and Richardson Ave, Wakefield (718-994-0566)
SugarFoot Girls
This foot-fetish company caters to ped-ophiles (get it? get it?) with a thing for pretty-toed women of color. Its MySpace page boasts 2,573 friends and a host of wholesome teaser shots (feet clutching bottles of vodka, enmeshed in fishnets, cradling M&M's, etc.). People interested in booking parties or one-on-one S.O.L.E. (Sensory Over Load Experience) sessions should e-mail Petey Wheat at sugarfootent@gmail.com. Private sessions start at $100 for a half hour. myspace.com/sugarfootgirls
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The Bronx Knows campaign
The Bronx is attempting to do something no other U.S. city or NYC borough has ever done: make sure every adult knows his or her HIV status. Sixty-eight hospitals, community organizations and government agencies participate in the campaign, which strives to make testing as routine as checking one's cholesterol. "Studies show that when people know their status, they're more likely to protect other people and change their behavior," says Candia Richards-Clarke, COO of Bronx AIDS Services. For info on how to get tested, visit visit nyc.gov/bronxhivtesting.
Sex workers in Hunts Point
The sprawling neighborhood has long been known for its large presence of sex workers, a lot of them transgender. "As gentrification has pushed sex workers out of many NYC neighborhoods, a lot more have ended up on the Hunts Point stroll," says Andrea Ritchie, director of the Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center. TONY dropped by Hunts Point in the middle of the night and found transgender women hanging around the Dominican-nun-run Corpus Christi Monastery. But "you can't assume they are sex workers," cautions Maryse Mitchell-Brody of the Anti-Violence Project, noting that the NYPD has taken to profiling all transgender women as sex workers and arresting them in mass sweeps. Says Ritchie, "It's so bad, transgender women are afraid to walk their dogs, go to the store or even go outside." —Steven W. Thrasher
The stats
250,000: The total number of adults the Bronx Knows campaign has set out to test
159,934: The number of adults the Bronx Knows campaign has tested as of press time
66: The HIV rate per 100,000 residents in the Bronx, the second highest in the five boroughs (following Manhattan)
Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Bronx