An unholy mix of gentrification and trafficking hysteria created the perfect political climate to allow law enforcement to shutter several New Orleans strip clubs, leaving scores of dancers unemployed. The Bourbon Alliance of Responsible Entertainers rapidly sprung into action; they disrupted the mayor’s press conference and organized the Unemployment March the following night, which drew… Continue reading Activist Spotlight: BARE on the Mass Closure of Strip Clubs in New Orleans
Tag: Activist Spotlight
Activist Spotlight Interview: PJ Starr On Marcia Powell And Prison Abolition
Editor’s note, 8/31/2017: In light of Trump’s pardon of former sheriff Joe Arpaio for his contempt of court conviction re: the order to cease his reign of terror against immigrants in Arizona’s Maricopa County, we’re posting an updated edition of my September 2014 interview with PJ Starr. I interviewed Starr on her documentary about Marcia Powell,… Continue reading Activist Spotlight Interview: PJ Starr On Marcia Powell And Prison Abolition
Activist Spotlight: AMMAR Rep Maria Riot On Putas Feministas and Participating In The Women’s Strike
Maria Riot, a member of Argentine sex worker trade union AMMAR, contacted Tits and Sass after the Women’s Strike this month, eager to talk about how her organization participated in the event in their country. AMMAR has maintained a strong presence in Argentina for more than two decades, and its many bold campaigns have often… Continue reading Activist Spotlight: AMMAR Rep Maria Riot On Putas Feministas and Participating In The Women’s Strike
Activist Spotlight: Bonnie On Violence And Endurance
Content warning: This interview contains graphic descriptions of police violence and rape, imprisonment, and domestic abuse. Bonnie is a veteran sex workers’ rights activist who has done outreach work in the D.C. area since 2001. She was a HIPS (Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive) client who lived on the streets in Maryland. Later, she was inspired… Continue reading Activist Spotlight: Bonnie On Violence And Endurance
Activist Spotlight: Meg Vallee Munoz on Compassion, Coercion, and Complexity
Meg Munoz became an escort at age 18, and had a relatively good experience working. She then took a break from the business for two years. Some time after her return to the work in order to pay for college, a close friend turned on her, blackmailing her and forcing her to turn over all… Continue reading Activist Spotlight: Meg Vallee Munoz on Compassion, Coercion, and Complexity