Sex Work IS Work and Sex Workers ARE People

Here are some current activisms on and about sex work and sex workers. After recently coming across an amazing blog called Tits and Sass, which is done by and about sex workers (!!!), I realized how important it is to hear sex workers' perspectives. Although I'm neither no expert on the topic of sex work, nor am I at all familiar with current laws surrounding sex work in Canada, I do know that sex work is currently unregulated in Canada and laws surrounding sex work vary from province to province. As Lizzy Hill from Halifax's The Coast says, "while selling sex is not illegal in itself, the Canadian Criminal Code prohibits the activities surrounding sex work." Because of the current legal and political status of sex work, there needs to be a perspective about sex workers from the point-of-view of sex workers. 
As THIS article on Tits and Sass conveys, sex work and sex workers are often conceived of and understood in society based on negative stereotypes, many of which, according to the article's writer, aren't always true or fair. For example, the author contends that sex workers are often considered stupid and unable to consciously make smart decisions. Further, because they "sell" their bodies, they are also often considered separate from their bodies and thus not fully human. As such, they are dehumanized and objectified--that is, treated as objects and not fully competent human beings. Although this article may gloss over the patriarchal and capitalist ideologies that characterize "sex work", it does a great job and emphasizing the importance of sex workers and their voices and opinions.


Have a great Sunday!

*Photos courtesy of: Prostitutes Collective, the Coast, and Not Enough Good.