After the arrest of activist and sex worker Monica Jones, we’ve decided to keep a close eye on Phoenix, Ariz.’s Project R.O.S.E. program. Just a hunch, but it seems a few Project ROSE-ers are keeping an eye on us, too! A big thanks to Project ROSE for reminding us that we should be oh-so-grateful to have the option of forced rehabilitation over arrest.
Red Umbrella Project, the S.H.I.N.E. Project of the Community Health Network, and Persist Health Project will be hosting a Day of Sex Worker Health and Wellness, including a drop-in workshop on medical services and free, confidential sexually transmitted infection testing for those in the sex trades on November 19th at 7pm, at 147 Prince Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. This event will be free and open to the public, but it is especially designed to meet the needs of people in the sex trades.
Our own Tits and Sass co-editor Josephine helped compile a list of the best recent online nonfiction on sex work for Longform.
A new draft of bill AB640, currently stalled in the California Senate, would not only mandate condom use on porn sets for both oral sex and intercourse, but would also instruct employers to provide performers with protective eyewear to avoid ocular contact with semen. (In fact, there are unenforced laws on the books right now that demand these safety measures as well.) We’d like to leave this at that with no additional commentary besides “WTF?”, but since one of us once made a sheepish visit to her local clinic after her boyfriend’s spunk flew into her eye, we have to add that we know firsthand how low the risk of STI transmission is through that route.
Eric Barry tells HuffPo about his difficulties finding a job after outing himself as a former escort on his podcast, Full Disclosure: “I’ve stayed true to myself, and I can say unequivocally I have no regrets about that. But rent looms.” We feel you, dude.
Two new studies on Australian and Thai airports reveal bizarre biases in custom officials regarding whom they stop under suspicion of sex work or being a trafficking victim. Packing lingerie, being Asian, and whether or not the purported victim cries are apparently key factors.
In a story we missed last month, South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma pledged his continued support for the decriminalization of prostitution. Decriminalization will remain on the agenda of the newly appointed SA Law Reform Commission.
Yet another piece we can file under The Headline Says It All: “Banning Edinburgh’s Saunas Won’t Make Sex Workers Safer.”
Look who’s Good for the Strippers again! “Rihanna and Drake met up at a Houston strip club in the wee hours Thursday and together dropped more than $17.000 before their outing was over well after 5 AM, according to a dancer who entertained the…duo.” All we see is dollar signs, indeed.
Robyn Maynard of Canadian sex workers’ rights org Stella sounds off on Canada’s prostitution laws in the Mcgill Daily.
A New York state woman facing charges of child endangerment for hiring exotic dancers for her son’s 16th birthday party chose to avoid a trial and accept a plea deal. We’d LOVE to hear about this case from the strippers’ POV.
SFGate continues coverage of US PROStitutes Collective’s and the Erotic Provider Service Union’s efforts to strike down a provision in California’s Victim Compensation Program that denies aid to rape victims assaulted while doing sex work.
The stripper culture appropriation trend continues as Bruno Mars uses a pole dancer as set dressing in his performance at the MTV European Music Awards.
Sex workers, men who have sex with men, and truck drivers in Benin will benefit from $68.8 million in new HIV grants from the Global Fund.
Frank Mete, a Connecticut man accused of trolling Backpage.com for victims, posing as a police officer, and then blackmailing escorts for sex and money in exchange for not being arrested, faced a judge this Tuesday.
Business Insider belatedly discovers sociologist Ronald Weitzer’s work on sex work and enthusiastically informs the public that there are actually different kinds of full service sex workers. Who knew?
Labor MP Steph Key’s third attempt to decriminalize sex work in South Australia is likely to fail because there is not enough time to pass legislation before Parliament closes down ahead of the March 2014 election.
Melissa Gira Grant deconstructs UChicago findings that supposedly indicate that fewer men are paying for sex for Slate’s Amanda Hess.
We covered Tammi True’s documentary, True Tales, about her days as a dancer in Jack Ruby’s club in the 60s in an earlier edition of the Week In Links, so we were delighted to hear that she’s set to make a comeback, joining burlesque troupe Ruby Revue onstage on Friday, November 29, at the House of Blues.
Naremburn councillor Nic Wright is clutching his pearls about the possibility of Willoughby becoming Sydney’s next red light district. Indeed, he’d like to zone brothels into industrial areas which are poorly lit and have poor access to public transport, endangering brothel workers, rather than approve one more brothel in his district.
HIV NGOs came out with a press release denouncing the Botswana government’s campaign to arrest, detain and deport sex workers in its effort to curb HIV and AIDS in the country. This campaign contributed to the arrest of at least 30 women suspected of being sex workers earlier this month, some of whom the Botswana Police Services confirmed are now under the custody of Botswana’s Department of Immigration for possible deportation.
Nobody dislikes currency inflation more than strippers.
A documentary, Ruins: Chronicles of an HIV Witch Hunt, highlighting how Greece arrested —and exposed sex workers in the media— has been released, as new legislation that allows forced HIV testing on suspected sex workers is reinstated.
Here’s more coverage from the Age on recent allegations that anti-trafficking activist Somaly Mam coached young women to recite fabricated abuse accounts.
I loved the Eric Barry article. I’ve thought long and hard about just how “out” I want to be as a sex worker, and as much as I love smashing the patriarchy through open, visible, aggressive honesty, there will always be bills to be paid, and I don’t intend to do this forever. I admire his efforts and I hope he’s able to find success in the straight world.
I never considered the moderated comments at T&S. Have ya’ll ever thought about having a post made up entirely of those comments so your readers can bat them around like a pinata if they wish? Taking the comments out of context lessens their sting and keeps them from trolling up the actual post’s conversation thread.
Actually, we’d love to do that, but no matter how jerky some of the comments we decline to post are, it’d be unfair to the posters if we did that–not allow them to take equal part in the discussion but allow their comments to be lambasted. But ha, yeah, I’ve thought abt doing this before!