Pretty Boy

Pretty Boy is a film that has taken me over 10 years to finally make. I began writing the script when my mom died from lung cancer. I just graduated from film school, and this loss was devastating. The family needed money. I had to help raise my fifteen-year-old baby brother, Demarko. I quickly found a regular paying job at Youth In Need, Inc., and they were a great employer.

One day while outreaching in a rough area of downtown St. Louis, I saw a young Black teen male engaging in a sex act with a grown man behind a dumpster. I wasn't alarmed because things like that tend to happen in that area but I was shocked to see this behavior during the daytime with a young person. I made a U-turn and the adult took off running while the young person idly pulled up his clothes. I approached him without judgment. I rolled down the window and asked if he needed condoms. He told me the guy paid him more money if he didn't use a condom.

My heart dropped. I got out of the van, shared my program with him, and told him how I could help. With street youth, you must build trust first since the system has repeatedly failed them. He didn't want to enter my program, so we made plans for us to meet the next day. He showed up, and we had a long talk. In that conversation, he shared his personal story about his mom's drug addiction, and how he never knew his dad. I learned how he lived his life and it altered my perception of the world around me regarding street youth particularly males. I gave him supplies and food, and we made plans to meet on a third day. This time I was convinced I would get him into our shelter program, however, he didn't show up and I never saw him again.

I looked around the area for months to no avail. I often wondered what happened to him. Then I decided to write a screenplay inspired by his story. I felt so connected to him and all the at-risk transitional-aged youth. I want to tell their stories. I could relate to this young person i.e. feeling you must do what you have to do in order to survive. I must share this story because many others just like him are out there on the streets. Before I knew the ins and outs of this hidden world, whenever I saw young men on the street corners late at night, I often thought they were potentially selling drugs. The concept of survival sex never came to mind. Generally, most people think young girls are the primary victims of survival sex, but there's a significant number of young men as well. This is especially true for African-Americans, who are invisible and undervalued by many in society. I want to bring their stories to a heightened consciousness.