Centering Sex Worker Voices
Unsurprisingly, the two recent threads on sex work are… active. There’s a lot of push-back (especially to mine) in the comments, so I want to address a few things. First, I stand by what I wrote in the post. But second, I did an inadequate job of focusing on the more important issue: Making life safer, here and now, for sex workers.
...read moreSupporting Sex Workers’ Rights, Opposing the Buying of Sex
There are a few topics that still never fail to divide feminist activists, and sex work is one of them — which is why this post is so contentious right now. I love our regular guest bloggers Laurie and Debbie, and I posted that piece myself — but I don’t agree with all of it. I am an anti-sex-trafficking feminist. I think sex work is incredibly problematic. And I also support the rights of sex workers. I think you can do all those things at once.
...read moreThe War on Sex Workers
Melissa Gira Grant has an excellent article in Reason this week, laying out exactly what’s wrong with the war on “sex trafficking,” which is conducted largely by women who identify as feminists, and how and why it is really a war on sex workers. The last paragraph of the article is especially powerful:
...read moreChristian group invites Thai sex workers to come to Daddy
This is the story of a video by eleven young women from the U.S.–almost exclusively white–who went to Thailand to save the “bar girls” to Jesus. “We found that we were the perfect ones to fight for them,” say the title cards. “Because we used to be women in chains… Just like them.”
...read moreAn Invitation for Sex Worker Stories
Is up at Greta Christina’s place. The thread is for sex workers only to share their experiences, so if you’ve done sex work, head over there. The comment section is an interesting and enlightening read, and showcases a variety of experiences. It’s also worth reading with the perspective that, while the internet is a large and diverse place, there are certain privileges inherent in having internet access, being literate, writing in English, being a part of online “free thought” communities, etc etc. So while the experiences documented are indeed diverse, there are certainly lots of voices that aren’t in that conversation (and I’ll refer everyone back to Audacia Ray for further consideration).
...read moreThe many types of prostitutes in ancient Rome
UPDATE: After posting this guest entry, it was brought to my attention that the blog from which it is cross-posted contains material that is racist, misogynist, fat-shaming and transphobic. Had I known that history, I would not have allowed this post to be published on Feministe. We will not be publishing work from this author again. And going forward, when guest posts are offered, I will do more homework into a blogger’s background and past posts, instead of just generally perusing their blog for anything that immediately stands out. The Feministe team is also discussing ways to prevent this from happening in the future. I apologize that a piece from such a problematic author was posted in this space. -Jill
...read moreDie-In tonight; Tomorrow is International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers
I’ve got some links to some event locations, great links and 101 materials about sex workers’ rights – feel free to link to your own posts about sex work, the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers, and relevant events in the comments.
...read moreWhat is a representative sex worker?
This is a guest post by Wendy Lyon.
This is a cliché that anyone who advocates for sex workers’ rights will be familiar with. Faced with a sex worker who defies the abolitionist stereotype of a person physically or economically coerced into prostitution, who thinks their job is ok and isn’t desperate to leave it (but could if s/he wanted to), and who argues that the solution to the negative aspects of sex work is decriminalisation and enforceable rights, the inevitable response is: You’re not representative. Why should the law be made for you?
...read moreStopping Police and DAs from Using Condoms to Convict Sex Workers
By Crystal DeBoise, cross-posted at On The Issues Magazine Last winter, “Sheila,” a sex worker in her early 20s, had just finished her counseling session with me at the Sex Workers Project, and was heading out the door. Sheila was seeking counseling from the Sex Workers Project to help her make a career change, but [...]
...read more“Balka: Women, HIV, and Drug Use in Ukraine” short harm reduction documentary
Boosting the signal on this 35-minute documentary. (Note: If you’re unfamiliar with the subject matter, then I recommend reading the short discussion guide when you watch it.) Description: The fall of the Soviet Union led to a surge in injecting drug use and skyrocketing rates of HIV spread through shared injecting equipment. A documentary film [...]
...read moreBDSM versus Sex, part 1: Divide and Conquer
Every once in a while, someone will ask me a question about something BDSM-related that I feel “done with”; I feel like I did all my thinking about those topics, years ago. But it’s still useful to get those questions today, because it forces me to try and understand where my head was at, three [...]
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