Sex Work

radicalsocialworker:

How To Be an Ally To Sex Workers

1) Don’t Assume. Don’t assume you know why a person is in the sex industry. We’re not all trafficked or victims of abuse. Some people make a choice to enter this industry because they enjoy it, others may be struggling for money and have less of a choice.

2) Be Discreet and Respect Personal Boundaries. If you know a sex worker, it’s OK to engage in conversation in dialogue with them in private, but respect their privacy surrounding their work in public settings.  Don’t ask personal questions such as “does your family know what you do?” If a sex worker is not “out” to their friends, family, or co-workers, it’s not your place to tell everyone what they do.

3) Don’t Judge. Know your own prejudices and realize that not everyone shares the same opinions as you. Whether you think sex work is a dangerous and exploitative profession or not is irrelevant compared to the actual experiences of the person who works in the industry. It’s not your place to pass judgment on how another person earns the money they need to survive.

4) Watch Your Language. Cracking jokes or using derogatory terms such as “hooker”, “whore”, “slut”, or “ho” is not acceptable. While some sex workers have “taken back” these words and use them among themselves, they are usually used to demean sex workers when spoken by outsiders.

5) Address Your Prejudices. If you have a deep bias or underlying fear that all sex workers are bad people and/or full of diseases, then perhaps these are issues within yourself that you need to address.  In fact, the majority of sex workers practice safer sex than their peers and get tested regularly.

6) Don’t Play Rescuer. Not all sex workers are trying to get out of the industry or in need of help. Ask them what they need, but not everyone is looking for “Captain Save-A-Ho” or the “Pretty Woman” ending.

7) If you are a client or patron of sex workers, be respectful of boundaries. You’re buying a service, not a person. Don’t ask for real names, call at all hours of the day/night, or think that your favorite sex worker is going to enter into a relationship with you off the clock.

8 ) Do Your Own Research. Most mainstream media is biased against sex workers and the statistics you read in the news about the sex industry are usually inaccurate. Be critical of what you read or hear and educate yourself on who exactly is transmitting diseases or being trafficked.

9) Respect that Sex Work is Real Work. There’s a set of professional skills involved and it’s not necessarily an industry that everyone can enter into. Don’t tell someone to get a “real job” when they already have one that suits them just fine.

10) Just because someone is a sex worker doesn’t mean they will have sex with you. No matter what area of the sex industry that someone works in, don’t assume that they are promiscuous and willing to have sex with anyone at any time.

11) Be Supportive and Share Resources. If you know of someone who is new to the industry or in an abusive situation with an employer, by all means offer advice and support without being condescending. Some people do enter into the sex industry without educating themselves about what they are getting into and may need help. Despite the situation, calling the police is usually never a good option. Try to find other organizations that are sensitive to the needs of sex workers by contacting the organizations listed below.

12) As you learn the above things, stand up for sex workers when conversations happen.  Share your personal stories if you so choose.  Don’t let the stigma, bigotry and shame around sex work continue.  Remember it’s important that sex workers be allowed to speak for themselves and for allies to not speak for sex workers but to speak with sex workers.

Realize that sex work transcends ‘visible’ notions of race, gender, class, sexuality, education, and identities; sex workers are your sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, lovers, and friends. Respect them!

Get Active! Contact your local SWOP Chapter to find out what you can do or form your own in the city you live in.

This list composed by the members and allies of Sex Workers Outreach Project-Chicago. Visit us on the web at www.swop-chicago.org

workingsex:

You need to stop abusing sex workers for knowledge, money, and fame. If sex workers are being so generous as to offer you their time, energy, and personal insight into a taboo subject, you better find a way to give back. Historically, academics have used sex workers for their own professional…

audaciaray:

Communities United for Police Reform will be launching our campaign with events around New York City, taking our message to City Hall, and to the communities most intensely targeted by these profoundly unfair policing practices.

All listed events are free, some have pre-registration or other specific requirements.
For general information about the week: justice@changethenypd.org
For press inquiries: press@changethenypd.org [Please note: Cop Watch and Know Your Rights Trainings, and the Youth Open Mic are not open to media.]

Schedule as of 2/24/2012, subject to change.

SUNDAY 2/26, 1pm - 6pm (@ Audre Lorde Project, 147 W. 24th St., 3rd floor, MANHATTAN)

Culture + Resistance = Justice: Kick off Communities united for Police Reform’s (CPR) week of action with banner-making, music, poetry and food! For more info, contact: Picture the Homeless, 646-314-6423 or veronica@picturethehomeless.org

MONDAY 2/27, 6:30pm - 8:30pm (@ The Point, 940 Garrison Ave, Hunts Point, BRONX)

Calling on the Bronx & all New Yorkers to Watch the Cops: Free hands-on Cop Watch training to learn more about your rights and get tips on how to educate your community and prevent police abuse. RSVP required. For more info, to request childcare, or to register, contact Peoples Justice: info@peoplesjustice.org

TUESDAY 2/28, 4pm - 7pm (@ Make the Road New York, 301 Grove Street, BROOKLYN)

Youth Open Mic on Police Violence. For more info, contact Make the Road NY/Youth Power Project: Jose, 646.496.3469 or Jose.Lopez@maketheroadny.org

WEDNESDAY, 2/29, 12 noon (@ City Hall Steps, MANHATTAN)

Communities united for Police Reform (CPR) press conference on City Hall steps to end discriminatory policing by the NYPD. For more info: justice@changethenypd.org

WEDNESDAY, 2/29, all day (@ throughout the city)

Stand with CPR. Whether you can join us on the steps of City Hall or not, wear your Cop Watch t-shirt. If you don’t have one, pick one up at the Sunday 2/26 or Monday 2/27 events.

THURSDAY 3/1, 10am - 4pm (@1399 Lafayette Ave., BRONX)

Help paint a Know Your Rights Mural. Work with artists to help with the underpainting of a new Know Your Rights Mural. For more info, contact yulsan.liem@gmail.com.

THURSDAY 3/1, 6:30pm - 9pm (@ Audre Lorde Project, 147 W. 24 St., 3rd floor, MANHATTAN)

Know Your Rights Training for lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, transgender, and gender non-conforming people of color. RSVP required. For more info, contact Audre Lorde Project: Irma, 212-463-0342, ext. 17 or ibajar@alp.org

FRIDAY 3/2, 6:30pm – 8:30pm (@MS35, 272 McDonough Street, BROOKLYN)

Cop Watch Training. For more info, contact Malcolm X Grassroots Movement: info@mxgm.org

harmreduction:

Scott Morgan, Associate Director, FlexYourRights.org

Whether or not you ever break the law, you should be prepared to protect yourself and your property just in case police become suspicious of you. Let’s take a look at one of the most commonly misunderstood legal situations a citizen can encounter: a police officer asking to search your belongings. Most people automatically give consent when police ask to perform a search. However, I recommend saying “no” to police searches, and here are some reasons why:

1. It’s your constitutional right.
The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects us against unreasonable searches and seizures. Unless police have strong evidence (probable cause) to believe you’re involved in criminal activity, they need your permission to perform a search of you or your property. Read more.

2. Refusing a search protects you if you end up in court.
Basically, if there’s any chance of evidence being found, agreeing to a search is like committing legal suicide, because it kills your case before you even get to court. Read more.

3. Saying “no” can prevent a search altogether.
Data on police searches are interesting, but they don’t show how many searches didn’t happen because a citizen said no. A non-search is a non-event that goes unrecorded, giving rise to a widespread misconception that police will always search with or without permission. Read more.

4. Searches can waste your time and damage your property.
Do you have time to sit around while police rifle through your belongings? Police often spend 30 minutes or more on vehicle searches and even longer searching homes. Read more.

5. You never know what they’ll find.
Are you 100 percent certain there’s nothing illegal in your home or vehicle? You can never be too sure. Read more.

Good tips!