1. Because this is the first time in more than 20 years that the U.S. has hosted the event. The IAC will take place in Washington, DC from July 22 to 27. The conference will feature both formal meetings and presentations (with a registration fee) and a Global Village with cultural and activist events (free… Continue reading Five Reasons Sex Workers in the US Should Care About the International AIDS Conference
Category: Activism
Annie Sprinkle and the Founding of December 17th
Sex work activist Annie Sprinkle was the mind behind the original International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. After the conviction of “Green River Killer” Gary Ridgway, Sprinkle and activists from SWOP decided that a holiday was necessary to commemorate people in our community who have been the victims of violence, and to draw… Continue reading Annie Sprinkle and the Founding of December 17th
Shannan Gilbert’s Remains Found on Long Island
It’s been a year since police in New York discovered the remains of four women on Long Island. All were believed to be the victims of a serial killer, and all worked as prostitutes. The search that unearthed them began when Shannan Gilbert’s family reported her as missing. Their persistence in pressuring area police led to the… Continue reading Shannan Gilbert’s Remains Found on Long Island
Quote of the Week
[I]n a culture trashy with raunch yet clenched with righteousness, the sex worker persists and insists. She is lamented by some feminists, lauded by others, lectured by religious groups, legislated by governments; monitored by health services, spurned by mortgage brokers, envied or condemned by friends, invited to write memoirs by publishers, assisted by outreach services;… Continue reading Quote of the Week
Report From 2011’s Sex Worker Open University
I’ve been a sex worker rights activist for going on a decade now, and I’ve lived in New York all that time. My focus in the early years was very local, meaning that I was concerned with what was happening in my own life and the lives of the people I worked with and cared… Continue reading Report From 2011’s Sex Worker Open University