Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has backed a New York City paramedic who was exposed by the New York Post for supplementing her $25 an hour incom...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has backed a New York City paramedic who was exposed by the New York Post for supplementing her $25 an hour income with an OnlyFans page.
Lauren Kwei, a 23-year-old first responder for SeniorCare EMS, has been working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic saving lives in what was just a few months back the global virus epicenter of the world.
The Post wrote an article this week about Kwei posting raunchy images on subscription site OnlyFans as a means to make some extra cash while living in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Social media users leaped to Kwei's defense and a GoFundMe set up for the ambulance worker had topped $67,000 by Wednesday morning.
AOC led the charge against the Post and defended Kwei saying 'sex work is work', while pointing out that any outrage should be directed at why an essential healthcare worker earns such a low amount that they are forced to juggle multiple jobs in the first place.
The 31-year-old socialist later called Kwei to ‘encourage’ her and thank her for her service as a frontline healthcare worker.
As well as her work on OnlyFans, Kwei was working a third job as a hostess at a Korean restaurant in order to make ends meet.
New York-based Democrat AOC has been fighting for sex work to be decriminalized alongside Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who is 'open' to the idea.
Lauren Kwei, a 23-year-old first responder for SeniorCare EMS (above), has been working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic in what was a few months back the global virus epicenter of the world
Kwei said her story is not unique in that essential healthcare workers are really struggling with their mental health during the pandemic, while also grappling with low wages
'Leave her alone. The actual scandalous headline here is “Medics in the United States need two jobs to survive",' 31-year-old Democratic socialist AOC replied to the Post on Twitter.
She then retweeted a Rolling Stone magazine story that slammed the Post and said that any shame should be thrown onto the federal government for allowing critical healthcare workers to end up in such dire financial straits.
'Sex work is work,' AOC wrote, in a tweet that, by Wednesday morning, had garnered over 112,000 likes.
'The federal gov has done almost nothing to help people in months. We must pass stimulus checks, UI, small biz relief, hospital funding, etc.'
She added: 'Keep the focus of shame there, not on marginalizing people surviving a pandemic without help.'
Kwei, whose Twitter bio now reads 'hot paramedic the NY Post tried to destroy', later revealed that she had spoken to the congresswoman over the phone following the saga.
'Congresswoman @AOC gave me a phone call to wish me encouragement and thanked me for my service,' Kwei tweeted Wednesday.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leading the backlash against the New York Post over its story where it outed Kwei for her OnlyFans work
AOC led the charge against the outlet, pointing out that any outrage should be directed at why an essential healthcare worker earns such a low amount that they have to juggle multiple jobs in the first place
'She is a class-act and I hope to inspire other womxn the way she has inspired me. Be BRAVE!!!'
In a follow-up tweet, Kwei then hit out at critics who attacked her use of 'womxn' as an alternative spelling for women.
'I apologize if my use of "womxn" was inappropriate or offended anyone. I wanted to be inclusive of those who are non-binary or identify otherwise. Is there an alternative or are most of you just upset that I didn't type "women"?' she wrote.
The term is deemed more inclusive as it includes transgender and non-binary women and also removes 'men' from the word to shun the sexist idea that women are an extension of men.
Several social media users agreed with AOC and rallied behind Kwei, who - after the Post's story - said she was fearful for the future of her EMT job.
'EMT is a trained position and in-demand in society. Not just during this pandemic, but it is a huge pitfall of society in metropolitan areas where these jobs cannot make a living,' one person replied to AOC's tweet
'There's something so messed up from the top down. Everyone knows females will be force into sex work.'
Kwei revealed Wednesday that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called to ‘encourage’ her and thank her for her service as a frontline healthcare worker
In a follow-up tweet, Kwei then hit out at critics who attacked her use of 'womxn' as an alternative spelling for women
Another person chimed in: 'Thank you so much for saying this.
'Sex work is work. Furthermore, we must fully decriminalize sex work. No exceptions.'
A GoFundMe page set up by one of Kwei’s friends and named 'Help Lauren fight for her livelihood' has so far attracted more than 3,100 donors from across the globe and $67,305 in donations and counting, with others in the medical community pledging their support.
'From one medic to another, stay strong,' wrote one donor.
Another wrote: 'NYC has let its Healthcare workers down for too long. As a pharmacy technician, I stand in solidarity with you and with all the other underpaid and abused Healthcare workers of this country.'
Many blasted the low salary that led Kwei to a position where she had to find extra work.
Several social media users agreed with AOC and rallied behind Kwei, who - after the Post's story - said she was fearful for the future of her EMT job
'The real shame here is that a 23-year-old American woman couldn’t survive off her salary as a medical worker — not that she turned to the picture sharing app, as millions of Americans have done during the pandemic,' one donor wrote.
The fundraising page detailed how Kwei had turned to sex work to support herself and her family during the pandemic.
'Lauren is a paramedic, working on the front lines in one of the hardest hit areas of the country making little money,' it read.
The page then told how Kwei had been contacted by the Post and asked them to remain anonymous - a request the outlet refused, leaving her at risk of losing 'the job she loves' with SeniorCare.
'In reality Lauren is now at risk of losing her job, losing her ability to help support her family, her father is extremely ill and Lauren has nowhere to turn,' it read.
In updates on the page, Kwei defended her actions and said 'I truly believe I do not HAVE to explain myself, but I want to'.
A GoFundMe page set up by one of Kwei’s friends and named 'Help Lauren fight for her livelihood' has attracted more than 3,100 donors from across the globe and $67,305 in donations and counting
Donors threw their support behind Kwei and hit out at the New York Post
'I know in my heart that I did nothing wrong, but it really helps to be reminded that I do not deserve to be treated like this or spoken about this way,' she wrote.
She revealed how she started working on OnlyFans because she didn't want to ask her parents for money and that to take up extra shifts as a first responder and work 40+ hour weeks would take its toll on her mental health.
'I never once spoke of my pictures at work or used my job as a paramedic to solicit subscribers,' she wrote.
Kwei also accused the Post of outing her to her employer and mother
'I told him my safety and job were going to be at risk if he posted this article. He truly did not care,' she wrote.
'He went on to call my employer and my mother... As of right now, I do still have a job but I will probably find out tomorrow if I don't.'
Kwei explained how she put herself through paramedic school before graduating in February this year - just before the pandemic started ravaging New York City.
'I struggled a lot during the height of the pandemic. I was suicidal a lot of this year,' she wrote.
'I don’t want to quit my day job and get my bag on OnlyFans — I want to serve the city of New York. That’s all I have ever wanted to do.'
'The bottom line: I don’t get paid a lot. I’m just trying to make ends meet,' Kwei said
Kwei wrote that her story is not unique in that essential healthcare workers are really struggling with their mental health during the pandemic, while also grappling with low wages.
'I’m here to tell you all that my First Responder brothers and sisters are suffering. We need your help,' she wrote.
'We have been exhausted for months, reusing months old PPE, being refused hazard pay, and watching our fellow healthcare workers die in front of our eyes, in our ambulances.
'At least three NYC EMS workers died by suicide this year and there has been very little action about the lack of mental health care accessibility for first responders.'
She added: 'EMS are the lowest paid first responders in NYC which leads to 50+ hour weeks and sometimes three jobs. My brothers and sisters DESERVE CHANGE.'
Kwei added that the Post article comes at a time when she has had to return to West Virginia to take care of her father after he went into cardiac arrest last week.
'The bottom line: I don’t get paid a lot. I’m just trying to make ends meet,' she told the Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet.
She also added: 'Health care workers aren’t making a lot of money. And I’m not the only one trying to make ends meet.'
OnlyFans has surged in popularity, with a 75% increase in sign-ups in April as healthcare workers - and other workers - struggle to make ends meet during the pandemic. A mechanic in Indianapolis (above) revealed she had been fired by her employer when they learned she had an OnlyFans account
Kwei deleted her OnlyFans posts after the Post contacted her.
'I know SeniorCare would deem this ‘inappropriate’ so I took it down in the hopes that I won’t lose my job in the middle of a pandemic and three weeks before Christrmas,' Kwei told the Post, adding that SeniorCare had asked to meet with her.
A SeniorCare EMS representative told The Daily Beast Kwei was still employed with the company and that it would not be letting her go over her work for OnlyFans.
Kwei's plight to rake in extra cash comes as healthcare workers nationwide are currently grappling with dismally low wages and the fact hospitals and staff are buckling under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic.
Kwei told the Post she and many others at the bottom of the pay grade earn just $25 an hour.
This predicament has forced many to turn to OnlyFans to make ends meet, according to Buzzfeed News.
And it's not only medical professionals who have been forced to turn to the platform, with unemployment soaring to record levels as businesses shuttered and stay-at-home orders were issued during the pandemic, throwing millions of Americans out of work.
Ro Khanna, the US Representative from California's 17th congressional district, is one of many Democrats alongside AOC who is fighting for sex work to be decriminalized
As a result, OnlyFans has surged in popularity, with a 75 percent increase in sign-ups in April as people looked for new ways to stay afloat.
One California mom told the Huffington Post in April how she had turned to the site when she was furloughed from her job at a gym as it closed in March.
'I have a little one, so it was really stressful. I need to make sure he’s taken care of. It had already made quite a difference for us,' she told the outlet.
'Being stuck at home, I have to network and put work into promoting my page.'
The next month, a mechanic in Indianapolis revealed she had been fired by her employer when they learned she had an OnlyFans account.
Meanwhile, AOC is one of many Democrats fighting for sex work to be decriminalized.
Ro Khanna, the US Representative from California's 17th congressional district, has put forward the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act last December to study the experiences of sex workers and determine if the controversial SESTA-FOSTA bill has made it more difficult for sex workers to work online - in turn making work more dangerous for them.
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