Our board is community-led, embodying a "by us, not about us" approach, ensuring that our work is deeply rooted in the experiences and voices of those we serve.
About Us
Pelvic Sanctuary is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization committed to providing inclusive pelvic health education, advocacy, and resources. Our team is built by the very communities we serve, including LGBTQIA+ individuals, Sex Workers, BIPOC communities, and transgender youth. We offer pelvic health workshops, educational resources, and community-building programs to empower individuals and advocate for broader systemic change. Through strong partnerships with local organizations, we work to improve health equity and make pelvic health education accessible to underserved communities in Los Angeles and beyond.
Meet Our Amazing Team
Al is a queer-identifying Pelvic Health Specialist, and Sex Worker since 2002, passionately advocates for destigmatizing taboos around human sexuality to advance Social Justice. Leveraging her extensive education in Physical Therapy, focusing on Pelvic Health and gender-affirming care, she works to bridge the diversity gap in Pelvic Health education and services. Growing up in punk and hardcore scenes, her understanding of social justice and activism is rooted in DIY and grassroots efforts, which prepared her to build Pelvic Sanctuary from scratch.
Additionally, Al studied the body through art and politics at Universität Der Kunst, Berlin, and the California Institute of the Arts (MFA) and Library Science at San Jose State University and has over 25 years of dance experience. This diverse life trajectory enriches her understanding of the body's intricacies and nuances while cultivating robust research skills.
Her dedication to learning has been recognized with numerous grants and scholarships from the Art Libraries Society of North America, Special Libraries Association, Maharishi Institute, CalArts, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Dharma Moon. Through her work with prestigious organizations like the Tom of Finland Foundation, the Alfred Kinsey Institute, and the Leather Archives & Museum, she has significantly contributed to preserving and archiving human sexuality. She is a licensed PTA and holds multiple Physical Therapy certificates from Herman & Wallace, The American Physical Therapy Association, Gary Gray Institute, and Medbridge. She is a certified teacher in both Pilates and Mindfulness Meditation.
Al remains actively involved with the LGBTQIA+, Sex Worker, and Queer Art communities in Los Angeles, creating a solid bridge for Pelvic Sanctuary program outreach.
Executive Director and Founder, MFA/PTA
Badly Licked Bear
Executive Treasurer
Badly Licked Bear is an educator, writer, artist, and mutual aid worker. She tells circle-shaped stories and teach storytelling by storytelling. Their work is rooted in shifting identities, Looney Tunes, BDSM, deep observation, and their lived experience as an Indigiqueer transfemme.
In their work as an independent writer and artist, they are currently engaged in a year-long project as a Culture Bearer by the Center for Cultural Power to teach Queer, Two-Spirit, and Transgender Indigenous community members how to sew their own ribbon skirts. Badly regularly writes on media, Queer and transgender culture, and they are the most recent author of the PBS Independent Lens Map of Gender-Diverse Cultures and act as a freelance consultant and workshop leader on gender diversity and transgender issues. Their written and teaching work increasingly touches on the intersection of sexual cultures and the history of sexuality.
As a member of both the transgender community and the Queer community, and as an enthusiast for healthy and joyful sexuality, Badly's interest in pelvic health stems from her awareness that those communities often lack access to pelvic health information and care that is appropriate to the lives of community members.
Alyssa Aparicio
Executive Secretary
Alyssa Aparicio is a Bronx-born multimedia creatrix who brings invaluable insight into our program expansion. As the CEO and founder of Pussy Empowered™, Alyssa is not only a key figure in our organization but also a visionary mentor, guiding the development of our holistic wellness programs. Her expertise helps shape initiatives that empower individuals to unlock, tune in, and celebrate their pelvic region while fostering self-love. Through her work, Alyssa is teaching us to think beyond traditional frameworks, focusing on creating spaces that are trauma-informed, sex-positive, and inclusive of sex workers. As an erotic performer and choreographer, she passionately cultivates environments that encourage embodiment and expression, making her a vital force in advancing the mission of Pelvic Sanctuary. Instagram @sensual_radiance
Reve Douglas
Head of Sex Worker Outreach Committee
Revé Douglas (he/him): LGBTQIA+ Outreach and Programs
Revé is a dynamic Los Angeles-based dildo artist celebrated for his vibrant presence in queer art spaces and his longstanding involvement in community projects. With a unique blend of creativity and activism, he brings invaluable insights to Pelvic Sanctuary's programming.
Reve's interests include gardening, veganism, and fermentation, reflecting his passion for food and wellness. At Pelvic Sanctuary, we're excited to explore the connections between these interests and pelvic health, particularly the importance of nutrition and digestion (vital aspects of pelvic health). As a program consultant and community outreach specialist, Revé adds a lively and authentic touch to everything he does, making him a valued member of our team.
Kayla Tange
Head of Sex Worker Outreach Committee
Kayla Tange is a Los Angeles-based Korean American multidisciplinary artist. Born in 1982 in South Korea and adopted by a Japanese American family, the experience of displacement is a recurring theme in her work.
Using installation, photography, and performance, a large portion of Tange’s work addresses structures of spectatorship while redefining intergenerational wounds through public and private rituals. Her practice pendulates between literal and satirical while exploring ways of utilizing collaboration to convey feelings of longing, transforming stories of shame into a symbolic and valuable medium.
She is part of diaspora collectives Hwa Records, and Chosun Family and has co-founded and organized shows such as Sacred Wounds, Cyber Clown Girls, and Stripper Co-op, which focus on fundraising, mutual aid, and community building through performance. In addition, she has co-created Private Practices, an AAPI sex worker and performance art archive at Los Angeles Contemporary Archives.
After a series of health crises, with a diagnosis of breast cancer and endometriosis, which led to an extended break from performing, she began to think more about the lack of medical information given to adoptees, agency, longevity, and the significance of the archive's role in times of crisis.
Tange is also known under the stage name Coco Ono. Ono portrays archetypes and stereotypes, often in dark humor, to facilitate dialogue about identity and compensation for emotional and sexual labor. She found her chosen family at the intersection of performance art and sex work. Her practice expands on experiences of the absence of mothering and its effect on attachment, sexuality, and boundaries.
Community Board
Dr. Willy Quach
Advisory Board: Programs
As an accomplished Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in musculoskeletal and pelvic floor dysfunction rehabilitation, Dr. Q brings a holistic approach to our nonprofit's mission of promoting pelvic health education for LGBTQIA+ populations. With extensive education and training in various settings, including clinics, gyms, and hospitals, their expertise spans different individuals, body types, and specialized communities, such as cancer patients.
With a focus on reducing stigma and providing real solutions, our Dr. Q works closely with the LGBTQIA+ community to address the high prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction and bring awareness to the importance of pelvic health. Their experience in cancer rehabilitation, mainly working with men facing prostate cancer, has led them to advocate for integrating pelvic floor physical therapy as an essential component of cancer treatment.
Dr. Julie Wallace
Advisory Board: Programs
Dr. Wallace, a valuable member of our Pelvic Sanctuary team, is a dedicated program developer focused on providing inclusive pelvic health education for LGBTQIA+ and Sex Worker populations. She is passionate about addressing issues such as leaking, painful intercourse, low back pain, and the physical toll of childbirth, and has special interest in creating more support for transmasculine men and pregnancy.
Dr. Wallace combines her solid educational foundation with continuous learning creating a vital role in expanding and refining our programs. With her exceptional skills, compassionate approach, and commitment to inclusive care, she empowers individuals of all genders and lifestyles, to improve their well-being and live healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Nika Cherrelle
Advisory Board: Programs
Nika Cherrelle, They/Them, is the founder of the International Institute for Sexual Empowerment, which creates a safe space to talk about sex. With over 25 years of experience in the Fine Arts, Nika is a skilled artist, educator, and dedicated activist committed to driving conversations on health, sexuality, and social justice as the podcast host of The House of Cherrelle, they have been instrumental in increasing diversity in conversations surrounding sexuality, challenging societal norms, and advocating for inclusivity.
Through their work, Nika creates a space where all individuals feel loved, honored, and respected, breaking down taboos and promoting healthy relationships with sexuality. As the founder and operator of Nika Cherrelle's LLC, they have demonstrated their dedication to empowering individuals to enjoy their sexuality and sex lives, fostering a world free from sexual shame. With their unique perspective and unwavering commitment to social change, Nika is pivotal in advancing Pelvic Sanctuary's mission of promoting pelvic health education and reproductive justice for all.