A part of our community seems to always get left behind. While we argue that we need to prioritize the safety and well-being of sex workers, our discussions often fall short of protecting the workers who are most at risk: underage workers. We fear being read as encouraging the sexual exploitation of children. But the… Continue reading Pushed To The Fringes: Underage Sex Workers
Category: Politics
Celebrity And The Spectacle Of The Trafficking Victim
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
Activist Spotlight: Pye Jakobsson On the Amnesty International Vote and Holding Allies Accountable
As the vote this weekend at the Amnesty International General Council Meeting in Dublin approaches on whether the human rights organization will adopt a draft proposal supporting the decriminalization of prostitution as policy, I spoke, via e-mail, to Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) President Pye Jakobsson on NSWP’s petition to Amnesty urging them… Continue reading Activist Spotlight: Pye Jakobsson On the Amnesty International Vote and Holding Allies Accountable
A Tale of Two Petitions: CATW’s Amnesty Open Letter Fail
On July 22, a long list of prohibitionists, working through the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, released an open letter to Amnesty International as part of their long-running fight to stop them from officially adopting a pro-decriminalization of sex work stance. The letter urged the organization to vote against a draft proposal supporting decriminalization at… Continue reading A Tale of Two Petitions: CATW’s Amnesty Open Letter Fail
It’s Not About Me: Responsibility In Sex Worker Writing
New sex worker writers often justify their sex work with respectability politics. I did it. I fucked up with my very first piece, in a big venue, the Guardian, contrasting my sex work to that of hypothetical trafficked workers, so-called “miserable slaves.” Even after taking feedback about that mistake, it took me a while to… Continue reading It’s Not About Me: Responsibility In Sex Worker Writing