Sex Work 101
What is sex work? Who are sex workers? In this session, Celestina Pearl provides an overview of s3x work, discussing different types of s3x work and the challenges (systemic, legal, etc.) that come along with each. She speaks about ways to respectfully engage sex workers (especially trans, BIPOC, unhoused, and street-based) and offers plenty of resources!
Further Reading: Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights by Juno Mac and Molly Smith
Sex Work & Policy
In this seminar, Professor Manisha Shah discusses regulatory frameworks for sex markets and their impacts. Specifically, Shah focuses on the effects of the criminalization on female sex workers’ sexual health and financial status in East Java, Indonesia.
Further Reading: Getting Screwed: Sex Workers and the Law by Alison Bass
Sex Work & Queer Liberation
A roundtable on how sex workers shaped the fight for LGBTQ rights, and what that means for queer politics now with the late and b beloved Cecilia Gentili, Hugh Ryan, Red Schulte, and moderator Melissa Gira Grant.
Further Reading:
Sex Work is an LGBTQ Issue by #SurvivorsAgainstSESTA
Letter on LGBTQAI Sex Worker Community Impact for Hill Briefing signed by 24 organizations including Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Center for Transgender Equality
Chapter 4, “Sex Sells,” of The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice by Shon Faye
Sex Work ≠ Sex Trafficking
Too often, anti-trafficking laws make it impossible for victims and witnesses to report exploitation without risking prosecution. When lawmakers conflate human trafficking with consensual adult sex work, innocent people are arrested and prosecuted, victims face barriers to services, and exploitation proliferates in the black market.
Further Reading:
Preventing Sex Trafficking Requires the Full Decriminalization of Sex Work by Freedom Network USA
Statement on attack on UN research calling for the decriminalisation of sex work by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women
Decreasing Human Trafficking through Sex Work Decriminalization by Erin Albright, JD and Kate D'Adamo, MA
Cecilia Gentili (1972-2024) was a beloved actress, author, activist in New York.
Gallery of Queer and Trans Sex Worker Legends
As part of an event called “Queers and Whores: Hand in Hand for Liberation” with the Stonewall Liberation Organization, we created this gallery to showcase the many incredible and inspiring legends who came before us.
Check out this link to access the full gallery: bit.ly/legendsgallery <- all lowercase