As Black History Month draws to a close, we thought revisiting Peech’s seminal essay on Maya Angelou would be appropriate. Dr. Maya Angelou, American Poet Laureate, most famous for authoring I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, passed away at age 86 on May 28th, 2014. Her literary agent Helen Brann confirmed the news to… Continue reading The Erasure of Maya Angelou’s Sex Work History
Tag: respectability politics
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
The Boss (2017)
Aya de Leon’s new novel, The Boss, tackles the real issues of sex work in a criminalized society without ever coming across as preachy. De Leon uses the experiences of sex workers and her own life to bring the reader into a diverse, vibrant, and intersectional world. As an isolated black femme sex worker living… Continue reading The Boss (2017)
The Gr8 Pole Deb8: PoleCon Edition
Three years ago, at this very time of year, this post came across my Tumblr dashboard. It was the first time I had seen anything like it and I was staggered. Stripper tumblr (strumplr?) was outraged, and though responses began with the intent of being educational, they devolved quickly as the original poster, Kelly, blasted… Continue reading The Gr8 Pole Deb8: PoleCon Edition
Working While Pregnant Is About Survival
Yes, I saw the coverage earlier this month on pregnant Nevada brothel worker Summer Sebastian blogging about enjoying a few months at work at the Bunny Ranch while her (former) millionaire partner watches their beautiful twins at home. No, I didn’t get the promised message of empowerment and normalization or a real heart-to-heart on what… Continue reading Working While Pregnant Is About Survival