Author: Juniper Fitzgerald

Juniper is a mother, author, academic, and former sex worker. She is a regular contributor to Tits and Sass and her work has appeared in Pacific Standard, Mutha Magazine, Jezebel, SeaFoam Magazine, and others. She is the author of the first children's book to showcase a sex-working parent, How Mamas Love Their Babies (Feminist Press). Tweet her: @juniperfitz

Both A Mother And A Whore

A Virgin Mary mural in Madrid. Photo taken by Perivolaris. (image via Flickr user drjohn2005)

The illusion of “common sense” and its alleged empirical certainties is one of the the most steadfast means by which we collectively propagate whore stigma. As a recent example, critics lampoon Imtiaz Ali’s short film, Indian Tomorrow, for portraying an economically savvy sex worker. “Prostitutes who rattle off sensex [India’s stock market] figures during sex,”… Continue reading Both A Mother And A Whore

Celebrity And The Spectacle Of The Trafficking Victim

The Society of the Spectacle: where a rich actress who once played a sex worker is more credible than sex workers themselves. (Photo by Flickr user Anthony Citrano)

With Amnesty International’s announcement that its membership will vote on a policy of decriminalization of prostitution this weekend and subsequent protests from celebrities, there’s been considerable verbal diarrhea spewed from the mouths of rich people on the topic of “privilege.” Sex workers like me—people who have the time and energy to advocate for human rights—have… Continue reading Celebrity And The Spectacle Of The Trafficking Victim

The Price of Knowledge: Discrimination Against Sex Workers In Academia

(Image via plasticdollheads.com, courtesy of Gemma Ahearne)

This essay is based on research interviews I conducted with current and former sex workers who are undergraduate or graduate students at universities across the globe. Their names and other identifying information have been changed. I am subject to the capricious whims of my patriarch, a pimp of sorts, the man who decides the parameters… Continue reading The Price of Knowledge: Discrimination Against Sex Workers In Academia

Sex History: A Response To Rashida Jones And Her Critics

Rashida Jones at the premiere of I Love You, Man, at South by Southeast in Austin, in 2009. (Photo by Flickr user thomascrenshaw)

Rashida Jones, one of the producers of Hot Girls Wanted, a new documentary on the amateur porn industry, recently proclaimed that women do not derive pleasure from performing in porn. “It’s performative,” she explains, “women aren’t feeling joy from it.” She proceeds to ask, “What is the real cost [of performing in porn] to your… Continue reading Sex History: A Response To Rashida Jones And Her Critics