Article – REDUXX
Incarcerated Drag Queen Who Sex Trafficked Teens Now A Trans Activist
BRINDIS BLACKADDER – 10 October 2022 – REDUXX
An incarcerated drag queen jailed for his role in a child sex trafficking operation is now a regular contributor to a “harm reduction” magazine and is crowdfunding for transition surgeries on social media.
Christopher Thomas Lynch was handed a 14-year prison sentence in 2012 for forcing a teenage boy into prostitution. The male youth, who identified as transgender, was plied with cocaine and used to make child sexual abuse materials in addition to being forced to have sex with men up to four times per day for money.
Lynch and his boyfriend, Steven Lemery, ran an exploitation ring in which they used social media to lure gay and transgender teenage boys for the purposes of forcing them into the sex trade. Lemery, who was a go-go dancer at a gay club, was in a polyamorous relationship with Lynch, as well as a woman and her boyfriend. There were multiple small children residing in the home where the abuses took place.
Lemery was arrested in March 2011 after a former victim tipped off authorities. Police had initially suspected that Lemery was the only individual responsible for the trafficking operation — but that would quickly be revealed as untrue.
Following Lemery’s arrest, Lynch attempted to distance himself from the crimes by giving information to police that placed the blame on Lemery. He also conducted a television interview with a local news outlet and proclaimed total ignorance of the operation, and innocence of any crimes that had been committed. It was after this appearance that a victim was able to recognize Lynch from the program and reported his experience to police.
Following his arrest, it was revealed that Lynch had transported the youth to their adult clients and taken the money from them following their “sessions,” netting an income of “thousands per week” from their sexual exploitation.
The trafficked teenagers were reportedly locked in the bedroom closet when not being abused or prostituted, and the case involved at least four victims from the states of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. Deputies reported that the men had been trafficking teens for “two or three years” prior to being discovered.
Lynch was taken into custody on March 4, 2011 for a number of sexual offenses. Among the charges was an indictment for knowingly harboring a child for the “purposes of sexual servitude.” Shortly after being arrested, Lynch launched a Facebook campaign titled FREE PASHA with a mobile device he claimed to have stolen from a prison guard.
The Facebook page linked to a website selling merchandise, including children’s shirts and thongs, that featured Lynch’s mugshot and the words, “Free Pasha.”
According to The Advocate, Lynch pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, pandering by compulsion, possession of drug-related items, and one count of pimping a minor – which was reduced from human trafficking during a plea deal. He was ordered to serve at minimum 14 years of a 30-year sentence.
“Most of the victims were runaways or easy targets,” explained Chief Deputy Sheriff Stan Copeland of the Douglas County Sheriff’s office at the time. “They would put the kids in a dependent situation. If they wanted to leave, they’d have to perform sexual favors.”
Prior to his arrest, Lynch performed as a drag queen under the moniker Pasha Nicole. During his trial, Lynch called the repeated sex abuse and trafficking of the children “a stupid mistake.”
Since being incarcerated, Lynch has begun identifying as a transgender “woman” and is now using the name Christina Alicia Lynch.
In 2015, Lynch sued the state while incarcerated, arguing that denying him “gender affirming care” amounted to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of his eight amendment constitutional rights. Lynch represented himself in the legal battle, and won his case, being granted access to facial hair removal treatments, hormones, and other feminine accessories.
His successful argument has been cited by ACLU Oregon in their guidebook on “protecting transgender prisoners.”
Lynch was released in 2018 on parole, and re-incarcerated months later on charges of attempted armed robbery. He has announced plans to sue the Georgia Department of Corrections for a second time on the basis of a refused transfer to a women’s institution.
Despite currently being in custody, Lynch manages a social media account under the name C. Dreams, on which he has over 12,000 followers…
Go-Fund Me
KASTALIA MEDRANO – 31 July 2022 – Go-Fund Me
Per a letter from Christina:
“My name is Christina. I’m a 31-year-old Afro-Latina trans woman, and I’ve been incarcerated since age 19. I’d been engaged in sex work since age 14, to survive and to cover transition expenses.
After 12 years in prison, I’m approaching the end of my sentence. I hope to make parole in 2023, but if not I’ll be released early 2025. While incarcerated, I’ve worked hard to receive an education and to fight for better healthcare and living conditions for incarcerated people (especially trans prisoners). In 2015 I successfully represented myself in a lawsuit against the Department of Correctionsions that is now frequently cited by lawyers and in related legal scholarship. I am currently suing DOC for a second time!
I wrote hundreds of letters to get educational sponsors, which paid off as I was able to go to college from prison. I graduated with Honors from Jacksonville Baptist Theological Seminary (earning a Bachelor of Theology) and also with Honors from Blackstone Career Institute (earning my Diploma in Paralegal Studies and a certification in Advanced Civil Litigation). I’m currently a Master’s theology student, and I work as a paralegal/law clerk in my prison’s law library. I’ve also published writing about conditions of confinement and transformative justice.
This fundraising goal is a lot because rebuilding a life from scratch costs a lot. Aside from a place to live, I’ll need clothes, furniture, a car, car insurance. I’ll also need health care for seizure and other chronic conditions, and of course to further my transition. I deserve a second chance at life, and the opportunity to excel as an advocate, a writer and organizer for transformative justice and human rights.
Please donate and please share.”