Digital Transgender Archive

Nico Fuentes Oral History

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Nico Fuentes is a member leader in a current unionization campaign at the Pleasure Chest, a sex toy shop. Beginning with an account of growing up in a Mexican family in West Texas and Oklahoma, she goes on to describe her move to New York City to become involved with fashion. Eventually she found work in sex toy retail, where she came out as trans, politicized informed by Black Feminism, and eventually helped start the union drive at the Pleasure Chest in collaboration with the Retail, Warehouse, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Nico reflects on how racist mistreatment spurred the campaign, and the role of queer and trans identities in retail.

Item Information:

Identifier
h128nd92c
Collection
Oral Histories with People of Color
Institution
NYC Trans Oral History Project
Creator(s)
Fuentes, Nico
O'Brien, Michelle Esther
Publisher
New York Public Library
Date Created
Feb. 11, 2018
Dates Covered
1990 to 2018
Genre
Oral Histories
Subject(s)
Nico Fuentes
Places
New York
Oklahoma
Texas > Harris County > Houston
Texas > Reeves County > Pecos
Topic(s)
Appearance
Clothing
Colleges
Depression
Direct action
Families
Feminism
Gender diversity
Gender identity
Harassment
Isolation
Labour
Lesbians
Politics
Racism
Sex shops
Trade unions
Transgender people
Resource Type
Audio
Digital Format
Duration: 1 hour 46 minutes 27 seconds
Language
English
Rights
Copyright undetermined
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