Your chance to help fund a sex worker's right billboard

I've written before about Furry Girl's sex worker's rights group SWAAY.

Right now the organization is running a campaign to fund America's first sex worker's right billboard in Los Angeles. The billboard was created as a response to the Ashton and Demi human trafficking media parade and the need to educate the public on what actually defines a sex worker.

The running design looks like the one presented above and has until August 17th to be funded. The project is being funded through EpicStep.com which is essentially a Kickstarter for billboards.

Click here to learn more about the project and to donate.

Is it weird?

Is it weird that the more I hear people talk about how damaging porn is and how everyone in the sex industry is abused/manipulated/unhappy/etc., the more I really want to go into porn?

It just seems like my personal "Fuck you" to everyone who says shit like that. Of course it's obvious that the people who say stuff like that have never actually talked to people in the sex industry so I'm not sure how many opinions I'll change but damnit it'll make me feel better!

How do you SWAAY?

Hello sexylings

Last month a new organization was launched aiming to educate others about sex work and sex workers. SWAAY stands for Sex Work Activists, Allies, and You and is run by Furry Girl who also runs Feminisnt.

The website offers a wealth of information, videos, and other general sex work related resources. The SWAAY website can be found HERE and I highly urge you to visit. Regularly even!

Love sex, love your sex workers.

Reading Materials

Hello loves,

I apologize for my absence. Yours truly has been off exploring England. So far it's consisted of lots of chocolate, walking, and sex. It's a terrible existence. I leave for Paris tomorrow. I'm expecting even more chocolate, walking, and sex in addition to gorgeous lingerie and crêpes.

I wanted to pop in an let you all know what I've been reading of late. I started devouring Whores And Other Feminists a few months ago but was unfortunately unable to finish it. A quick trip to the local library remedied it for me. Although a tad dated, Whores is still an excellent collection of articles and interviewers from sex workers and female pioneers in the sex industry on what it is to be a sex worker and feminist. Published back in 1997, women have come a long way but the relevance of so many of the articles proves that we still have so far to go. This book is incredibly empowering and I recommend it to anyone, female or male, sex worker or not.

Take care darlings. And drink your tea. It's good for you. x

Ireland Poster Campaign Aims To Humanize Sex Workers

A recent ad campaign launched by Turn Off The Blue Light aims change the ways sex workers in Ireland are perceived. A series of four ads features women of all types from different backgrounds describing their every day lives (dropping kids off, going to school, planning to run a business, etc.). It concludes with the line, "And I'm a sex worker."

Turn Off The Blue Light is an Irish organization that is run by sex workers and was started in response to organizations pushing for the criminalization (and in their mind eradication) of prostitution. With their current campaign TOBL is trying to give a more realistic face to sex workers in the country. Most people think of sex workers as either victimized women in horrible conditions or as the "happy hooker" who lives a lavish lifestyle with glamorous clients a la Secret Diary Of A Call Girl. It would seem that few understand or realize that sex workers are mothers, lovers, sisters, daughters, and a million other things. Their job is just that, a job.

Before the posters were released they were shown to the TOBL committee and met with very positive responses. Turn Off The Blue Light

Role Model

My Role Model The Pornstar

Stoya is the kind of woman I hope to be. Confident, intelligent, crafty, and artsy. The fact that she’s in an adult industry just makes her seem all the more gutsy and in control.

An article I wrote recently about why porn actress Stoya is one of my role models. Give it some love!

Bonus: I completely neglected to mention in the article that she's friends with Molly Crabapple which is probably 10 reasons to love her in itself.

Sex Worker Amnesty

A little while ago I wrote about the murders of several sex workers in Long Island. So far they police are still not cooperating. There's a petition making the rounds that I really am urging anyone reading this to sign. I haven't been able to add the petition directly here but clicking the link below will take you to more info about what's going on and the petition.


Click Here To Sign The Petition

Amnesty For Long Island Sex Workers

Another reason why we need to decriminalize sex work in America.

So far up to 10 women have been murdered by a serial killer(s) in the Long Island area targeting prostitutes. To a big part of American society, these women were dispensable. Whores who lived in the shadows who knew what could happen to them. Wrong. They were human beings. Friends, sisters, daughters, mothers, and so many more things.

Along with decriminalizing sex workers, we need to remember that sex workers are people too. They aren't dispensable and they deserve to be treated as actual humans. Their murders need to be solved and treated with the same importance as anyone else's murder.

The Police Commissioner of Suffolk County has asked for anyone in the sex industry who might have information to step forward. However, sex workers working in an illegal industry have no guarantee that if they come forward they won't be prosecuted for illegal sex work. The Red Umbrella Project is calling for those in the Suffolk County area to contact the office of the Suffolk County Police Commissioner and District Attorney and demand that amnesty be granted to sex workers allowing them to freely step forward to help solve these murders.


These sample letters come from the Red Umbrella Project website:

Here is a sample letter, which can be emailed to SCPDINFO@suffolkcountyny.gov and infoda@suffolkcountyny.gov:

Dear Commissioner Dormer and District Attorney Spota,

I am a sex worker / ally to sex workers who lives in Suffolk County / the greater New York City area and I am writing to express concerns my community has about the lack of protection police are offering to sex workers. During this time of extreme anxiety following the discovery of the remains of at least 10 people, it is important for you to extend goodwill to our community.

We appreciate that you have invited sex workers to come forward with information that may help in the investigation of these crimes, but we are requesting that you formally establish amnesty for prostitution related offenses until the killer has been apprehended. Declaring amnesty would go a long way in demonstrating that the police are serious about prioritizing the lives of sex workers.

Sincerely,
NAME
Organizational affiliation (if any)
Email
City/state/zip code

Sample phone script - you can call (631) 852-2677 (SCPD) and (631) 852 – 2575 (DA’s Homicide Bureau):


Hello, I am a sex worker / ally to sex workers who lives in Suffolk County / the greater New York City area. I am calling to request that DA Spota formally establish amnesty for prostitution related offenses until the serial killer is apprehended. If the police motto is to protect and serve, you must work harder to extend this to sex workers.


I am also, with my modest blog, urging those in the area to get involved. If you're not in the immediate areas you can still do your part by spreading the word and educating those around you.

-Athena

The Red Umbrella Project

Why I'm not "better than that"

I talked to Jason about my desire to do sex work. He was less than enthusiastic.

"I would be uncomfortable with that...you're better than that."

Am I? No, it's not a self esteem thing. It's the fact that that statement insinuates that those involved in sex work are lesser people. I find nothing about my desire to do sex work lowering or degrading. I'm an intelligent, college educated woman who is already planning out her 2nd degree. If anything, I'd be proud to do sex work because I'm working to break the stereotype that all sex workers were abused growing up and were forced into the industry by men or financial situations. Yes, there are women forced into it by circumstances and it's certainly not something I think is right. A person should be allowed to go into whatever occupation one wants without coercion or shame. It's exactly what I want too, the ability to pursue sex work without people telling me I'm lowering myself of immediately assuming I'm "broken".

It's something I'm trying to help Jason to understand. I get the uncomfortable thing, that was expected. I just want him to at least realize that I'm not lowering myself by wanting to do this. We're both very sex positive people and he's had no issue prior with other people seeing my body.

Will he come around and be ok with my desire to cam? Maybe, maybe not. However, if I can at least get him to see things from my side and realize the people involved in this industry are just as valid and worthwhile as any other person in the world, I'll be happy.

Sex Worker Bingo

via Feminisnt

Career Opportunities

A short while ago I asked people this question:

If you had to pick an alternative career, what would you pick?

I only defined "alternative" if someone asked as "something not the norm". Now, I had all sort of things in my head: tv show host, almost anything on Dirty Jobs, etc. When I got my answers almost everyone chose something in the sex industry. The other popular answer was assassin.

What is it with our obsession of sex and death? Is it that forbidden allure? Money? Hollywood glamorization? In the movies the hookers always have gorgeous clients and the assassins kick ass in sexy body suits. Seriously, who didn't watch Kill Bill and want to pick up a samurai sword?

The most common answers I got were stripper and dominatrix. America is schizophrenic when it comes to sex. We hold puritanical views and freak out when nipples are exposed on tv yet its influence is everywhere in our media. Sex tapes get as much media attention as the next movie where Michael Bay blows shit up. Still, when most people are quick to call strippers "sluts" and Pro Dommes "whores" with utter contempt in their voices.

Is our secret desire to pursue these careers a reflection of our desire to express our sexuality in a society that tries to stifle that behavior?

Cam Girls

I'm going to kick things off with one of my favorites. Web Cam Girls.

We've all seen ads for them whether we're trying to watch tv online, game, or nearly anything else. They're everywhere. My favorite is Kayla123, whose boyfriend seems to break up with her time I go to surfthechannel to watch Battlestar Galactica. But I digress.

Cam girl offer an intimate experience for people who want something more personalized than porn. For a lot of women who choose to be a cam girl, it allows exploration in the sex industry without some of the risks associated with stripping at a club and escorting. Some do it for the money, some for the thrill of being watched. I'm a bit of an exhibitionist and if I could ever get my partner to consent, would love to give it go either solo or partnered.  There's something about knowing I'm being watched that thrills me.

Being in control also excites me. Yes, those paying make requests but I'm still ultimately in power with the right to say no. It's...well...empowering which is part of what sex work is about to me. And by doing it on webcam there's little risk. The biggest worry is that someone you know might see you or someone could record the stream. If that's a worry, there are wigs (just secure that thing to your head!) and if your stream gets recorded and uploaded most companies are good about getting those videos taken down.

There are a lot of sites out there so it's worth checking out what they each offer. LiveJasmin is one of the most popular ones with some of the highest traffic. MyFreeCams has also been recommended for beginners. The one that's appealed to me is InternetModeling.com. They have a few points that I really like:

• Training - lots of newbies aren't entirely sure what to do which can cost them. You wouldn't start any other new job without training, would you?
• Weekly pay -  Because 2 weeks can be a long time between paychecks
• No minimum payout - Who decided to have a min. anyway?
• Several payment methods - Paypal! Sometimes you need to be more discreet/don't want things linked to a bank account. 
• Affiliate program - Agents make 10% of what the models they get to sign up make. Unlike some companies where that money comes from the model's check, InternetModeling pays you. 

I maintain, who doesn't want to get paid for doing what they should be doing already. C'mon ladies, you've been told before: masturbation is good for you! Venture into a sex shop/website/sex party and get your own big fat dildo! You can even name it! My friend named one of her's Justin since it quite literally was a "dick in a box."Be creative and have fun!

Sex

It sells.

For the last few years I've had a growing interest in the sex industry and in sex workers.  From cam girls to call girls to that woman who sells your girlfriend that cherry lube that you love to use, plenty of people deal in sex.

It's an industry that has drawn lots of criticism and can be very polarizing and while plenty people want to see it eliminated, I saw we embrace it and the workers who have chosen this career for themselves. I want to use this blog to explore different aspects and path out there.