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The Week In Links: April 8

Disturbing! And not at all related to news.

Surprisingly short slideshow of sex working women who’ve run for (international) political office.

Moby Chicks was an April Fool’s joke, but I think it’s a genius idea. What does maritime law say about topless dancing?

Horrible article on Zimbabwean farmers who spend their profits on sex workers.

A play about a “high class” prostitute (named Charlotte!) is running right now in LA.

Cool resource, bro. No, seriously—cool resource. This website compiles studies on sex worker populations across the world.

An exotic dancer puts all her money toward her no-kill animal shelter.

The Week In Links: April 1st

AdultCon by the numbers

India has already blocked the new .XXX domain.

Time covers Vallejo, California’s attempts to eliminate street prostitution. (Naturally, street prostitution is a “plague.”)

A Las Vegas artist enlisted strangers to interact with sex toys made in her body image “in an effort to mimic the kinds of interactions that sex workers have with their clients.” Because sex workers are just like disembodied silicon body parts.

South Africa may soon see a reality TV show dedicated to finding the best porn star.

Antigua lawmakers refuse to even entertain the idea of legalizing prostitution. A-holes.

Canada’s Supreme Court, however, agreed to hear challenges to its prostitution laws. And a huge coalition formed in Quebec to advocate for sex worker rights.

Minnesota may pass a law that stops prosecuting minors for engaging in prostitution.

Sadly, another body has been found that seems to have been the victim of the (still at large) Long Island serial killer who targets prostitutes. Meanwhile, in the wake of finding the bodies of two (former?) prostitutes, Memphis police are denying that they have a serial killer on their hands.

The Week In Links: March 25

An update on Oregon’s strip club debate, Oregon’s sex-trafficking bills, and Colorado’s john schools.

Care to read about truck drivers’ “commercial sex contacts“?

You should definitely care to watch this inspiring video of Cambodian sex workers and allies marching for rights.

It’s also worth checking out Amanda Marcotte’s commentary on teachers with a sex working past.

Canberra sex workers want changes to the law that will support their safety and privacy. Naturally, anti sex work folks (masquerading as anti sex-trafficking, and putting quotes around “safety for sex workers”) are not okay with that.

Performing artist and sex worker Annie Sprinkle is getting married for the tenth time this Saturday, and you can buy a ticket!

Camille Paglia talks about the recently deceased Elizabeth Taylor’s role as a call girl in Butterfield 8.

And nudists are worried that they’ll suffer if strip club laws restrict public nudity.

Bring your church program for a free pole dancing class near Houston.

Historical Wardrobe Malfunction

This is kind of neato—The Star Tribune has a blog called “Yesterday’s News” where it digs up old-timey newspaper articles, photos and ads. This week’s feature made the front page of the Minneapolis Tribune on May 9, 1953: Darlene LaBette Varallo, an “esoteric dancer”, was jailed for disorderly conduct. Two follow-up articles detail the handling of the evidence (“two little rhinestone-studded cones, a few lengths of gauze, a fringe and a pair of black net tights”) and the trial, which was complete with a lie detector test and testimony where the defendant explains that she was only guilty of a wardrobe malfunction:

SHE DESCRIBED her dance as a “can-can” plus a mixture of “a shuffle, ball hop, kick, twirls.” She denied Sullivan’s charge that she had bent over and shaken parts of her anatomy at the audience.
“You can’t bend over when you dance or you lose your equilibrium,” said Darlene, who testified she has danced since the age of 3 and was an Arthur Murray instructor for two years.
She said she certainly was wearing state’s exhibit F (the brassiere) when she began to dance but had to discard it because a strap broke. She also denied removing the state’s exhibit E (a tasseled fringe) from its original position around her – ah – middle.

The Week in Links: March 18

There were almost 600 crimes committed against sex workers in Ireland last year.

A (belated) article on SWOP-LA’s International Sex Workers’ Rights Day Celebration.

Amber Rose, model, radio personality, and former Kanye girlfriend, says she was a stripper at age 15.

Here’s a list of the 10 Best Prostitute Movies—but, ahem, it’s already been done.

The legal battle continues in the attempt to convict Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for sex with a 17 year old prostitute.

A (former) Boston prostitute won $200,000 in damages after her successful case against a police officer who regularly extorted sex acts.