At the Intersection
On harm reduction, mixed heritage, activism, and finally doing the work I was meant to do
I’m Melinoë, a 30-year-old nonbinary human services student, harm reduction advocate, and person who believes deeply that meeting people where they are can change—and save—lives.
Right now, I’m working toward my B.S. in Human Services at CSU Global with a focus on fundraising, building on my associate degrees in Software Development and Digital Marketing. But my sights are set further: a Master’s in Addiction Science at USC, where I plan to center my thesis on Living at the Intersection: Harm Reduction, the War on Drugs, and the Lived Experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ People. This research is personal, urgent, and long overdue.
My father was born and raised in Managua, Nicaragua, until he was about nine or ten. My mother was born on a U.S. Air Force base in England, then raised by my Italian great-grandparents—Nonna and Nonno—back in the States. I grew up mixed-race, white-passing, and deeply loved by my Latin American family, who told me over and over: You are one of us. 100%. No matter the color of your skin. We are Nicarao, indigenous to the land that became Nicaragua, and that identity shapes how I see the world.
Being white-passing comes with privilege I didn’t ask for but can’t ignore. I’ve spent years learning what it means to wield that privilege responsibly—to educate, to protect, to amplify the voices of those who don’t have that same racist advantage. The War on Drugs has been weaponized against people of color and queer communities for decades, tearing apart families, criminalizing survival, and creating barriers to care that kill people. It has to stop. I grew up knowing activism was something I wanted to commit my life to. Now, finally, I’m doing it.
By day, I work as a veterinary customer service representative—a role I’ve held for over five years and one that taught me patience, compassion, and how to hold space for people in crisis. By night and on weekends, I volunteer with my local harm reduction coalition, distributing supplies, connecting people to resources, and bearing witness to the strength and resilience of my community. Harm reduction saves lives. Full stop.
I wouldn’t be here without my partner of ten years, Dillon, who has been my rock as I’ve juggled work, school, activism, and everything in between. And I wouldn’t be whole without our little chosen family: Winston (aka WinniePoodlePie), our terrier mix with more personality than sense; Rhea, our shepherd-husky mix who thinks she’s a lapdog; and Persephone, our void kitty who rules us all from the shadows.
This space is where I’ll be thinking out loud—about harm reduction, human services, policy, research, and what it means to build a world that treats people with dignity. Thanks for being here and going on this journey with me.
