Sex work is a career like any other. It requires the same skills, think preparation, versatility, punctuality, quick-decision making and a willingness to learn and adapt. But, unlike the majority of careers, it is highly stigmatized and sex workers often have to deal with a lot of inequality. However, the tides of the times, fortunately, are changing; sex workers, armed with advocacy and visibility, are slowly but surely dismantling these inequalities.
Stigma is a pervasive issue. While the exact shape and form of stigma may differ from place to place, it is an issue that sex workers the world over contend with. Do we turn to sex work out of desperation? To fulfill our basic needs of survival? Absolutely not. Sex work is a respected profession when it is safe and consensual and shouldn’t be shamed. This is something sex workers strive to make the general populace understand.
One way that sex workers are tackling the stigma is through visibility. Regardless of the paths they take—academic, fiction, activism, journalism, etc.—sharing their stories and their voices helps dismantle stigma and misinformation. Speaking out, creating content, and engaging in conversations about sex work is helping to normalize the profession and increase awareness among non-sex-working individuals.
In addition to visibility, sex workers also boast powerful advocacy. Sex worker-led organizations are engaging in outreach to other sex workers and allies to increase support and provide tangible assistance with things like HIV testing, sex worker-specific health care, and legal support. Sex workers, too, are elevating their voices in the legislative sphere, speaking out against oppression and unfair laws in order to build a more equitable future.
Sex workers are jumping headfirst into the void and creating ways to fund and direct research for their own health and safety, prove the financial stability and positive impact of decriminalization, and raise awareness about social and health-related rights. They are even working in collaboration with local organizations on campaigns to reduce violence.
Gaining control of their narrative is another major way sex workers are challenging inequality. By using innovative tools, data, and technology, sex workers are creating online groups and social media networks to share stories and experiences, build awareness, and develop skills and strategies to combat stigma and exploitation. They are claiming control of their narrative, and it is helping break down the divisions between high and low-end, vocal and non-vocal sex workers, and reach out to allies internationally and domestically.
Sex workers are finding their wealth of knowledge, their capability, and their potential to stand up for each other and make their voices heard. They are creating their own initiatives tackling things like police brutality, racism, and other social inequalities. These initiatives show sex workers what it looks and feels like when fellow sex workers can stand together to gain visibility, acceptance, and rights.
Availing themselves of resources online, mass mobilizing, and participating in committees and panels to discuss and inform lawmakers about their issues, sex workers are mobilizing toward greater inclusivity through advocacy. This increased advocacy in turn creates lasting impact on the attitudes of the mainstream, moving it from a negative view of sex work to one of understanding.
Furthermore, sex workers are participating in educational campaigns to inform others, including law enforcement, healthcare providers, sex trafficking advocates, workers’ associations, student organizations, and occupational therapy programs on how to best interact with sex workers in respectful, empowering, and non-judgmental ways. With online dating of open discourse and conversations, sex workers are facilitating positive changes in society and challenging so-called “traditional” systems of oppression.
Outward displays of solidarity are important too. Protests, protests, and visible demonstrations of standing together are crucial ways to show the world that sex workers will not put up with any kind of violent or oppressive systems, and that the stigma can be taken down - both internally and externally. From marches, to parades, rallies, and even online events, sex workers are taking to the streets to show their force and solidarity.
Through raising awareness, increasing visibility, and developing collaborative networks to address disparities, sex workers are increasing their conduct, overcoming systemic hate and inequity, and ultimately dismantling inequality. Armed with advocacy and visibility, sex workers are standing up and demanding the rights they deserve, and that's an admirable and powerful thing.
Advocacy and Visibility: How Sex Workers are Dismantling Inequality
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3 min read
