Moriah Ulinskas

Andrew Myers

 

I was born in Santa Rosa, CA on January 11, 1968.  I came in August 2005 to San Francisco to be homeless.  At the time I was living out of my car in the East Bay.

 

I moved from Santa Rosa to Vallejo in 2001 and met a guy who had a house in Walnut Creek. We were partnered- he had a Mercedes Benz and I stuck to him like glue. That lasted until about 2004. I stuck to him for the security he provided. He wanted me to get a job but I didn’t want to. I worked for a cable company all through my 20s and I got tired of it.  I wanted to go back to school.

 

In 1996 I went to Santa Rosa Junior College and got my AA/ AS. While I was in college, I worked on Michela Aliota’s campaign for Congress. She ran against Frank Riggs.  This was what is called a targeted race- all the national campaigns come out and stump. I go to meet Al Gore and Dianne Feinstein.  This was through an internship for school.  I called the local democratic office and said I wanted to intern.  I learned it’s all about who you know. I also got to meet Harry Reid who, although I’m sure he’s married, I’m also sure he’s gay.

 

I watch what’s going on with Donald Trump now. Originally I thought he was just there to help Hillary, but no...  I watch Trump all the time on Youtube. I want Hillary to win, I really do, I don’t think she’s going to be the greatest president we’ve ever had, but she’s not going to go away until she wins, so she might as well be president.  Since I could vote there’s been a Clinton or a Bush running for the presidency.

 

I finished school in 1999 and moved back in with my parents, which lasted about 6 months until they said I had to get out.  I went to Vallejo for the cheap rent.  I was there about a year before I met Sean and moved in with him. He partied and he played (meaning he had dope).  I was able to fulfill all my dreams- not having to work, having a nice place to live, and access to dope. AND a Mercedes Benz.  

 

But that only lasted so long. He had another house in Los Angeles where his family was and he moved down there.  He would go back and forth, but he started going down there a lot and I was alone in his house in Walnut Creek.  I got into prostitution on Craigslist. That was a nightmare.  I always had a fantasy of being an escort- a male/ female escort- but only so many men in the East Bay are willing to pay. I started doing Tranny escort work and did that for about a year. Sean was coming back every six months or so, then in 2004 he threw me out.

 

I started living out of my car. In March 2005 I was arrested for prostitution in a Motel 6 in Fremont.  I lost everything that day- all my belongings. I was so marginalized then, I was barely keeping my head above water as it was, living in my car.  Then my car broke down.  I had it towed away and I never saw it again.  I got on BART one day and came to San Francisco and I never went back.  I thought being homeless in The City was better than being housed in the East Bay. You can make it here.  I was doing male- female prostitution.  I was making a TON of money. You could sleep with people for dope, a place to sleep, a shower. I did pretty well for someone who was homeless.

 

I survived off the kindness of strangers. There’s always an influx of tourists, you know: newcomers so you’re alway fresh meat.  I would put Craigslist ads out as a “dominant top”, which would appeal to some of these people.  I think some businessmen schedule trips here so they can explore gay and tranny sex.  That was the main clientele I was getting.  The business with tourists and businessmen was incredible then. This was before the economic collapse and there was tons of money going around.

 

People were feeling good before the election in 2008 and I made more money than I ever have in my life.  I think I made $10k in the month of June alone.  But I spent it all: dope, clothes.  When I say “dope” I mean meth.  My relationship with meth is a bad one. It owns me. Since 2001 when Sean introduced me to it. That’s not to say it’s his fault- I was right there to take it.

 

After 2008 things started to die down. I started getting sick. I had been diagnosed December 2007, and about a year later I started noticing my skin was peeling a lot. I was symptomatic. I went into Ward 86 and they gave me a one room motel room and an emergency fund.  After that I thought I wouldn’t have a place to live again, but a lovely lady named Rosalie at West Side Community Health Services got me signed up to move here. I moved in Dec 16, 2009 and that’s when my homelessness ended.

 

I was on the streets almost 5 years.  I romanticize it now- I remember it being kind of fun. Every single day was a challenge to survive: where were you going to get food from, things like that. Here is kind of boring: they take care of everything for you and there’s not much challenge to life.  I put myself out there, get dressed up, go out.  I go through SOMA and Union Square. In SOMA especially, I’m addicted to the attention. Walking down a street with ten thousand tourists on it and they’re all staring at you. They’re coming from some place in America where they’ve heard of people like you, but never seen you.

 

I’m going to see how far I can take this tranny thing.  I’m planning on getting implants and taking hormones.  That’s a big challenge and I could just pull back, we’ll see.  My other plan is to leave here with Harold, when he comes into money he’s going to get me a luxury apartment.