To Live Freely In This World: Sex Worker Activism In Africa (2016)

A version of this review originally appeared in issue 19 of make/shift magazine In March 2016, South African deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa made a historic announcement of a nationwide scheme to prevent and treat HIV among sex workers, proclaiming, “we cannot deny the humanity and inalienable rights of people who engage in sex work.” Though… Continue reading To Live Freely In This World: Sex Worker Activism In Africa (2016)

The Peculiar Political Economics of Pro-Domming

“So, I figured out what happened to Jane,” the dungeon manager said. “Oh?” “My friend ran into her the other day. She’s a cop now.” “I guess that makes some kind of sense ,” I said. “Mmhhmm. She can beat-up people legally now.” That’s the punchline. Do you get it? Let me take all the… Continue reading The Peculiar Political Economics of Pro-Domming

Flesh And Bone (2015)

Our heroine, Claire, attempts stripping.

Flesh and Bone is on Starz, and predictably over the top, and you know it will be from the moment the credits start. A tiny ballerina dances amidst red dust that’s maybe blood, maybe drugs, who even knows, accompanied by a cover of that Animotion song “Obsession.” Flesh and Bone is a dance story, and… Continue reading Flesh And Bone (2015)

“You’re So Brave!”: Pro Sub Stigma And Its Discontents

(Image by CarpesTreasures via Flickr)

Working as a professional submissive often makes you feel like an outsider. Pro-subs and pro-switches are a relatively rare breed of service provider, which makes our work feel pretty esoteric from the get go. For every one of us, there are many more vanilla, in-person, indoor workers. In part, this could be because the need… Continue reading “You’re So Brave!”: Pro Sub Stigma And Its Discontents

Look At Her Work: Candida Royalle’s Legacy

Candida Royalle at the 2013 Cinekink Awards. (Photo by Cropbot, via Wikimedia)

Candida Royalle was born in 1950 to a New York City that, to her, appeared buttoned-up and fucked-up about sex. She left that city, and the world, for good just a few days ago after several years of wrangling with ovarian cancer. Following in her musician father’s footsteps, Royalle pursued an arts education, funded first… Continue reading Look At Her Work: Candida Royalle’s Legacy