Richard Holcomb

Richard Holcomb (born September 21, 1976) is a human rights advocate, street outreach worker and HIV prevention counselor in Providence, Rhode Island. He is best known for his groundbreaking work in HIV prevention and as the founder of Project Weber,[1] a program for male sex-workers in Rhode Island.[2] The program is named after Roy Weber,[3] a 22-year-old male sex worker who was murdered on Christmas Day, 2003. Holcomb has done extensive research on male prostitution in the United States, Canada and Europe, and has been featured in several films on this subject.

Richard Holcomb
Holcomb in May 2012
Born (1976-09-21) September 21, 1976
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Project Weber logo 2013
Rich Holcomb and James Waterman displaying the Project Weber poster at the 2010 HIV Prevention Summit in Washington, D.C.
Holcomb conducting street outreach in Prague's Old Town Square in the Czech Republic, 2009

Project Weber

Holcomb is a recovering addict who began his career in HIV prevention in November 2007. The Project Weber outreach team he leads provides condom distribution, needle exchange, substance abuse referrals and HIV testing.[4] Holcomb cited the lack of data available on male commercial sex workers in the region as his reason for helping develop a 2010 survey to assess the needs of this population. Project Weber recruited and surveyed 50 male sex workers living on the streets of Providence. Holcomb also cited that the fact that he and members of his team are former sex workers themselves as one of the primary reasons they were able to gain access to the men in order to conduct this survey.[5]

The project has gleaned valuable data on male sex workers who work and live on the streets of Providence. Holcomb and his team were the first in Rhode Island history to gather data on this population. Prostitution in Rhode Island was legal until 2009.[6] His work has generated interest from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has received national attention.[7]

On October 1, 2013, Holcomb became Project Director of the first peer support drop-in center[8] for male sex workers in the United States. The center's staff meet their clients in a safe and non-judgmental environment, using a harm reduction approach.[9]

Holcomb has since resigned as director, but continues to be involved in the organization.

In 2016, Project Weber changed its name to Project Weber Renew, after deciding to expand its services to male, female and transgender sex workers.[10]

Awards and honors

Holcomb unveiled Project Weber's long-term plan for the first time at the 2010 HIV Prevention Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C..

He received a "hero's recognition" in the September 2012 issue of POZ magazine[11] and is featured in the documentary films Invisible: The Unseen World of Male Prostitution[12] and Hustler of Providence.[13]

References
  1. Technology. "Male prostitution in Providence". The Anchor.
  2. Siegel, Joe. "Former Male Prostitute Helps Hustlers Leave R.I. Streets". Article in Edge New, Boston, Mass. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  3. "Roy Weber- Home". royweber.com.
  4. "Street Outreach - Programs & Services". aidscareos.org. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  5. Goslant, Justin. "Male Prostitution in Providence". The Anchor Newspaper. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  6. "Prostitution Now Outlawed In R.I., But Is That Good?". NPR. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  7. Siegel, Joe. "Do HIV/AIDS Service Organizations Effectively Reach Male Sex Workers?". Edge New. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  8. Options Magazine. "ISSUU - Options Newsmagazine-October 2013 by Options Magazine". Issuu.
  9. "Drop-In Center Opens for Male Sex Workers". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. Van Donated in name of Overdose Victim
  11. "Midnight Cowboy". POZ Heros. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  12. "Grauman Films - Invisible". Grauman Films.
  13. "Hustler of Providence - Hustler of Providence". Johnathan Paul.

Media related to Richard Holcomb at Wikimedia Commons

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