Porterville College’s Cultural and Historical Awareness Program (CHAP) is continuing its ongoing thematic series, L.O.V.E. (Love, Obsession, Veneration, and everything in between), with a compelling upcoming public presentation. The event will take place on October 9, 2026, at 7:00 PM at the PC Theater.
The upcoming session features guest speaker Professor Hollie Marquess from Fort Hays State University. Professor Marquess serves as the Dr. Leo Oliva Distinguished Professor of History at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, where she also earned her B.A. and M.A. Currently a doctoral student in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Gratz College, her research focuses
on women, gender, sexuality, and the Holocaust, with previous publications exploring gender and sexuality in the American Midwest.
Professor Marquess’s presentation, titled “Sex Work in Frontier America,” will examine the vital yet often overlooked roles of women who engaged in sex work as early arrivals to western frontier towns. While the Wild West era is widely remembered for lawlessness, sex work operated both within and outside formal legal structures. This presentation delves into the historical realities, lives, and livelihoods of these frontier sex workers and their integration into frontier life.
The presentation is open to campus members and the wider community. For more information about this event or the CHAP program at Porterville College, visit the CHAP website at https://www.portervillecollege.edu/about-pc/chap/index.html or contact CHAP Coordinator Leslie Keele at [email protected].