Lena Dunham and Sia at the GEMS Love Revolution Gala Photograph by J. Shotti
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the GEMS Love Revolution Gala. It was a star-studded event including Lena Dunham, Sia and Ahmir Khalib Thompson, also known as Questlove from the band, The Roots. The purpose of the Gala was to raise money and support for GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), an organization that empowers girls and young women (ages 12-24), who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking, to exit the commercial sex industry and develop to their full potential. GEMS is committed to ending commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of children by changing individual lives, transforming public perception, and revolutionizing the systems and policies that impact sexually exploited youth.
Lena Dunham and Rachel Lloyd Photograph by J. Shotti
During the evening, Lena Dunham said she has become an avid supporter of GEMS as she has seen first hand how GEMS counsels and supports girls so they can escape the sex trafficking industry, and empowers them to create new lives, including going back to school, getting good jobs or starting families in stable environments. Lena also said that the founder of Gems, Rachel Lloyd, has become one of her role models and has taught her a lot about the empowerment of young women. She even joked that if Rachel Lloyd started a cult, she would join it.
In 1998, GEMS was started by Rachel Lloyd, a young woman who had been sexually exploited as a teenager. Ms. Lloyd came to the U.S. in 1997 as a missionary to work with adult women exiting prostitution. While working with adult women in correctional facilities and on the streets, Ms. Lloyd observed the overwhelming need for services for young women at risk for sexual exploitation who were being ignored by traditional social service agencies. It became clear that specialized services were essential for this disenfranchised population.
At the Gala, Ms. Lloyd said that it is very important to understand that the vast majority of the girls who end up in the sex industry are coming from homes where there's been sexual abuse, physical abuse, trauma and domestic violence. She stated that in order for girls and women to stop being sexually exploited all over the world, we all must be willing to treat each other with the same love and respect we would want for ourselves.
Ms. Lloyd indicated that through the services provided by GEMS many of these girls feel loved and supported for the first time in their lives and it is amazing what many of the girls have been able to accomplish. She is hopeful in her crusade against sexual exploitation and believes it is possible to empower more young girls to leave the sex trade, change and enforce policies against sexual exploitation around the world and educate people to help them view girls and women as equal to men.
Last but not least, the evening ended with a fabulous performance by Sia. Sia is one of Lena Dunham's good friends and was extremely excited to come to the gala to support and raise money for the organization. Sia sang her hit songs, "Chandelier" and "Elastic Heart" and her voice sounded beautiful.
The GEMS gala was one of the most heart-felt events I have been to in New York City in a long time. If you would like to read more about GEMS or support their efforts to combat sex trafficking, please go to http://www.gems-girls.org/