Naked Music Monday: Beyoncé Shows Us Blackness, Unapologetically

Beyonce’s “Formation” can be described with two words: unapologetically black. Images of black babies sporting their natural hair, lyrics such as “I got hot sauce in my bag (swag)”, and Beyonce atop a sinking New Orleans police car in what appears to be the wreckage of Katrina are what make that description a snug fit. The… Continue reading Naked Music Monday: Beyoncé Shows Us Blackness, Unapologetically

October 22nd And After: The Movement Against Police Violence And Black Sex Workers

Every year since 1995, thousands of people all over the world have joined forces in an effort to end police brutality, repression, and the criminalization of our lives. In America, yesterday, October 22nd, has become known as the National Day to End Police Brutality. These efforts were launched by the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA and… Continue reading October 22nd And After: The Movement Against Police Violence And Black Sex Workers

Shoplifting Safety: How Civilians Deny The Consent of Sex Workers

Mary Mitchell. (Photo by Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times, via Mitchell's Twitter feed)

Content warning: this piece contains discussion of sexual violence. You may have read the recent editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times, an opinion piece in which Mary Mitchell argues that sex workers who are raped by a client are making a mockery of “real” rape survivors by even considering what happened to them to be sexual assault.… Continue reading Shoplifting Safety: How Civilians Deny The Consent of Sex Workers

How Did Mary Mitchell Blame The Victim And Still Get Published?

(Photo by Flickr user quinn anya)

Content warning: this piece contains discussion of sexual violence. By now, most reading this are probably familiar with Mary Mitchell’s Chicago Sun-Times column in which she editorializes that sex workers are responsible if they are raped, for they willingly put themselves “at risk for harm”—as if the rape of a sex worker is an occupational… Continue reading How Did Mary Mitchell Blame The Victim And Still Get Published?

Who Can We Trust? Vulnerability, Whorephobia, And Fundraising For Heather

One of the more difficult aspects of living as a sex worker is never knowing exactly whom you can trust. Sometimes even allies can say offensive things or break confidentiality. In the wake of such indiscretions, it’s sex workers themselves who are left to navigate that broken trust and the increased vulnerability that comes along… Continue reading Who Can We Trust? Vulnerability, Whorephobia, And Fundraising For Heather