By Caty Simon and Josephine Ten years ago, the remains of four sex workers — Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Amber Lynn Overstreet Costello — were found close to Gilgo Beach, near Long Island, New York. The bodies were unearthed after a frantic 911 call from another worker: Shannan Gilbert spent 21 minutes… Continue reading International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers: Reliving the Decade You Survived
Tag: sex worker history
The Erasure of Maya Angelou’s Sex Work History
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
Hugh Hefner: Rapist And Revolutionary
Content warning: this post contains brief references to rape and abuse. Hugh Hefner died. Of course he did. Dude was 91. When my castmate announced it after rehearsal, I didn’t feel shock at the news. Hefner may as well have died when he stopped being the editor of Playboy magazine. Or when The Girls Next… Continue reading Hugh Hefner: Rapist And Revolutionary
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
Treading Air (2016)
As a sex worker and a fairly enthusiastic reader, I’ve come across so few of our stories told in fiction—and very few set in my own country of Australia. So when I recently discovered Ariella van Luyn’s 2016 novel Treading Air, I was instantly intrigued. It had a fascinating historical premise and a sex worker… Continue reading Treading Air (2016)