The Week In Links—January 24

Amnesty International gets on board with decriminalization. Unfortunately, Julie Bindel puts in her two cents (though we think they’re worth even less in her case.) Meanwhile, Amnesty’s blog follows up on continuing violence against sex workers in the Honduras’ San Pedro Sula district, “the most dangerous city in the world.”

“Prostitutes Steal Millions and Walk Free“—this crew of “four foxy female thieves,” as the article refers to them, makes us think the rest of us really need to step up our game.

Porn is prematurely announced dead, judging from this year’s sparse AVN awards attendance; the media rediscovers cam work.

More coverage on the future of Canadian sex work post Bedford v. Canada. In that context, Feministe’s Jill Filipovic sticks her nose into sex workers’ business yet again in an Al Jazeera opinion piece: “Despite my philosophical objections to the purchase of sex and my personal feelings of disgust aimed at those who buy sex, I nevertheless think people absolutely must have the right to sell sexual services without fearing abuse, incarceration, marginalization or stigma.” That’s nice, Jill. Thanks for your, uh, support and for sharing your tormented FEELINGS about our livelihood. No1curr.

The new Vivid Cabaret in Midtown, Manhattan boasts a 7.6-meter steel stake, more than twice as tall as most stripper poles. Thanks to Vivid Entertainment’s partnership with the club,  a number of porn stars, including Tera Patrick, will be appearing at the club’s opening night. How many porn stars can fit on a 7.6 meter pole? At least three, apparently.

More evidence of Ruth Jacob’s amazing transformation from anti to sex workers’ rights advocate this year in her interview of Tits and Sass contributor Lori Adorable and her interview of trafficking survivor, victim’s rights advocate, and sex worker ally Jes Richardson.

The London Review of Book’s Valeria Costa Kostritsky interviews a number of Swedish advocates on the Swedish model of criminalizing clients: “When I asked about the negative effects the law might have on sex workers, I was told they didn’t really matter, or were even a good thing.” Tits and Sass contributor and Swedish sex worker activist Pye Jakobsson is also interviewed.

Vice picks up last week’s story on Spain’s first union for full service sex workers in Ibiza.

The European Parliament’s Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee voted through a report that recommends the adoption of the Swedish model. Who’s disappointed and yet supremely unsurprised along with us?

In a story we missed earlier this month, Rupert Everett champions sex workers’ rights in the Soho brothel raids in the Observer: “There is a land grab going on in Soho under the banner of morality.” Everett’s colorful account of court procedures in the eviction case is not to be missed.

Performer Sid Harlow returns to Vancouver’s Penthouse Nightclub, where she first danced, to stage her one act dark comedy,  Lucky Girl, based on her career as a stripper and a pro-domme.

A Quebec judge refused to allow Montreal police to view a taped interview with accused killer Luka Magnotta about his work as an escort, saying the university researchers who conducted the sex worker study which included Magnotta have a right to keep his answers confidential. Quebec Superior Court Justice Sophie Bourque stated that the sealed interview had no relevance to Magnotta’s state of mind when he allegedly committed the murders. Peter Jacobsen, a lawyer who represented the university researchers, said the ruling marks the first time a Canadian court has recognized researcher-participant privilege, which he described as “vital to the ability of researchers to do studies on human behavior and attitudes,” especially in the case of the study of marginalized populations.

Diane Duke, the married Christian lesbian mother chief executive of the Free Speech coalition, comes to Britain to lobby against Prime Minister David Cameron’s internet porn filters.

Here’s an excerpt of former brothel worker Geena Leigh’s new book, Call Me Sasha, at news.com.au.