Sex Workers' Community

We used to have some great convo`s on this site, but it seems to have dropped by the by. Moving aside for advertising. Though I agree we need to know whats going on, we also need the interactions of sexworkers from different area`s & countries. This seems to be a missing part of this industry, don`t you agree?

Join us for the Second Annual Sex Worker Cabaret on Sunday, June 12, 2011!

Sex workers take the stage to tell their diverse stories through performance, narrative, puppetry, burlesque, comedy and more. This event starts with a curated selection of video works about sex work around the globe, and then features an all-star lineup of eleven performers.

Producers Sarah Jenny and Damien Luxe are proud to present this Sunday evening cabaret showcasing some of the most vibrant creative talent in the sex worker community. The cabaret is in homage to Annie Oakley’s Sex Workers Art Show (1997-2009) and takes place during LGBTQ Pride month, a time to reflect on the importance of community. Come listen to tales of self-determination, and bear witness to survival and celebration as sex workers eloquently — and at times raunchily — speak their truths.

With MCs Sarah Jenny and Damien Luxe and DJ Sirlinda!

WHEN: Sunday, June 12, 2011
TIME: DOORS @ 7:30PM, VIDEOS @ 8PM SHOW @ 8:30PM
TICKETS: $12 in adv. or $15 at the door (Click here to purchase tickets online.)
WHERE: Public Assembly, 70 N. 6th St., Brooklyn, NY

For more information, please visit www.sexworkercabaret.com

Sex Worker Zine Project – Call for Submissions
The Sex Worker Zine Project seeks to create a zine showcasing the diversity of sex workers’ experiences of all genders, sexualities, ages, abilities, nationalities, immigration statuses, races, and ethnic backgrounds. International submissions encouraged! This yet to be titled zine will be printed in full cover and will be available for sale with profits supporting the work of SWOP-NYC. All accepted contributors will receive a free copy of the completed zine. This zine is intended to be informal, informational, and accessible.

How to Contribute
Are you a current or former sex worker or someone who has experienced trading sex for money, food, housing, drugs, hormones, and/or other survival needs? We want to hear from you! Please submit your work on a sheet of paper 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ (ex. half a sheet of letter size paper) with quarter inch margins, full color (or black and white, high contract) page to our zine project. Please do not fold the paper if possible. Include on a separate page (either attached with a paper clip or leave unattached) your name (does not need to be your legal name), age, email address and/or phone number, and a mailing address should you wish to receive a copy if your page is makes it in the final project. Please state how, if at all, you wish to be credited for your work. (ex. Sparkley Stacey, John Doe, Anonymous in India, etc.) Be creative! Use pens, markers, collage, glitter, what ever way you wish to express yourself! You can use text or images alone or together. You can submit up to five pages but we will probably only be able to print one page per person. Your original materials will not be returned to you.

Your submission must be postmarked by May 1, 2011.

Can allies contribute?
We will consider submissions by allies! If you are an ally, friend, family member, child, parent, or partner of a sex worker, your story and advice is also valuable! Please consider submitting a page to the zine and please note if you are an ally with your submission.

Submissions by E-Mail
You can submit your piece by email if you are able (for example, created in PhotoShop or if it is scanned) at 300dpi resolution. Please email to: sarahjenny(at)gmail(dot)com.

Submissions by Mail
Mail your submission to:
Sarah Jenny
721 Broadway
4th Floor, ITP
New York, NY 10003 USA

Prompts & Ideas for Submissions

• Your techniques for self-care, ex. bubble bath, cooking a good meal, playing with your dog, etc.
• Techniques for harm reduction, ex. getting tested regularly, tips for screening clients, strategies for staying safe, etc.
• How To Be An Ally To Sex Workers
• Tips for Partners of Sex Workers – how to be supportive, how to decide whether or not to come out to a partner, etc.
• Illustrate your favorite work outfit
• Illustrate your favorite outfit in general!
• What does a bad day at work feel like? How do you cope? What would you like to see change?
• Illustrate and write about what sex work is like in your city, region, or country.
• Illustrate and write about what you imagine ideal working conditions to be like — ex. decriminalization, health care, etc.
• Tell us about your sex worker community!
• Parenting and sex work
• How to create cross-movement solidarity within social justice movements
• A list of your favorite support resources, books, magazines, and organizations
• Anything else you wish to add!

Sex Worker Cabaret - Call For Performers
Sunday, June 12, 2011

Share Your Sex Worker Pride this June at the Sex Worker Cabaret on June 12th at Public Assembly in Brooklyn, New York!

Submit your proposals here >>>>> http://www.sexworkercabaret.com

We are looking for cabaret acts of 3-7 minutes each for an early evening (7pm -11pm) event: burlesque, performance art, literary readings, comedy, video art, musical acts, etc. are all welcomed.

Diversity encouraged! All genders, bodies, ages, and talents welcome to apply. We are currently looking for proposals that would be, on some level, about sex work: whether it be a story about your favorite/least favorite client, a burlesque number to She Works Hard For the Money, or a more abstract interpretation. Preference is given to current/former sex workers (self-defined) but we will also consider topical submissions from allies, partners of workers, etc.

Please submit a short proposal by April 7, 2011 about the act you are interested in doing. If we don’t know one another, please send a link to your website, facebook, etc. or a link to a video.

Compensation: This is a benefit for…you! Some overhead costs need to be covered but after that, all money received from the door will be pooled and split among the performers. (Each act is a share in the pool; each video is a half-share) We ask that you help promote as the more people we bring in, the more money for the performers. We can help out of town performers find housing, but are unable to provide travel stipends.

We are also looking for go-go dancers who would be compensated with part of the pooled funds -- but also receive tips. Go-go dancing is 7pm-8pm and during intermission. You may apply to both perform and go-go.

Please forward to anyone you think might like to be a part of this very special evening.

Deadline: Please submit your proposal by April 7th.
Submit your proposals here >>>>> http://www.sexworkercabaret.com


Questions? Contact: Sarah Jenny & Damien at producers@sexworkercabaret.com

The Sex Worker Zine Project seeks to create a zine showcasing the diversity of sex workers’ experiences of all genders, sexualities, ages, abilities, nationalities, immigration statuses, races, and ethnic backgrounds. International submissions encouraged! This yet to be titled zine will be printed in full cover and will be available for sale with profits supporting the work of SWOP-NYC. All accepted contributors will receive a free copy of the completed zine. For more info, visit: http://www.sarahjenny.org/blog/portfolio/sex-worker-zine-project/ .

How to Contribute
Are you a current or former sex worker or someone who has experienced trading sex for money, food, housing, drugs, hormones, and/or other survival needs? We want to hear from you! Please submit your work on a sheet of paper 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ (ex. half a sheet of letter size paper) with quarter inch margins, full color (or black and white, high contract) page to our zine project. Please do not fold the paper if possible. Include on a separate page (either attached with a paper clip or leave unattached) your name (does not need to be your legal name), age, email address and/or phone number, and a mailing address should you wish to receive a copy if your page is makes it in the final project. Please state how, if at all, you wish to be credited for your work. (ex. Sparkley Stacey, John Doe, Anonymous in India, etc.) Be creative! Use pens, markers, collage, glitter, what ever way you wish to express yourself! You can use text or images alone or together. You can submit up to five pages but we will probably only be able to print one page per person. Your original materials will not be returned to you.

Your submission must be postmarked by May 1, 2011.

Can allies contribute?
We will consider submissions by allies! If you are an ally, friend, family member, child, parent, or partner of a sex worker, your story and advice is also valuable! Please consider submitting a page to the zine and please note if you are an ally with your submission.

Submissions by E-Mail
You can submit your piece by email if you are able (for example, created in PhotoShop or if it is scanned) at 300dpi resolution. Please email to: sarahjenny(at)gmail(dot)com.

Submissions by Mail
Mail your submission to:
Sarah Jenny
721 Broadway
4th Floor, ITP
New York, NY 10003 USA


Prompts & Ideas for Submissions

• Your techniques for self-care, ex. bubble bath, cooking a good meal, playing with your dog, etc.
• Techniques for harm reduction, ex. getting tested regularly, tips for screening clients, strategies for staying safe, etc.
• How To Be An Ally To Sex Workers
• Tips for Partners of Sex Workers – how to be supportive, how to decide whether or not to come out to a partner, etc.
• Illustrate your favorite work outfit
• Illustrate your favorite outfit in general!
• What does a bad day at work feel like? How do you cope? What would you like to see change?
• Illustrate and write about what sex work is like in your city, region, or country.
• Illustrate and write about what you imagine ideal working conditions to be like — ex. decriminalization, health care, etc.
• Tell us about your sex worker community!
• A list of your favorite support resources, books, magazines, and organizations
• Anything else you wish to add!

Here is an excellent YouTube video regarding the distressing issue of sexual trafficking. Unfortunately, there are too many sex workers (Dennis Fox, et al) who are in denial about this - who actually claim there is no such thing as sex trafficking - so this video provides very good information about this disturbing issue:

Here in the UK the police are asking for a new debate around the laws of prostitution!
Its in light of the conviction of a guy who killed 3 street sexworkers.
Although I take a pro decriminalisation view, I also think we need to look seriously at street work.
I have been a street worker myself, but now there are more issues around drugs & gangland pimping, as well as illegal minors, than when I did it.
New Zealand were the newest country to de-crim sexwork, but they seem to still have major problems when it comes to street sexwork, for all the reasons aforementioned!
What is your advice on this problem, any ideas?
If we only legalised brothels, sauna`s, etc...there would still be those who are vulnerable because of age or drug/drink issues, & they would still go on the streets, despite the high dangers. When I did it I came off the street into domination & went indoors. The pay was higher, as a bonus...so these women go on the street are the lowest paid in the industry, yet face the biggest dangers, both health wise & psychologically.
Do you think we will ever get around these dilemma`s?
Would value your ideas!

I will never understand folks who are in denial about human sexual trafficking (of both adults and children); it's as if they think we live in a Utopian Disneyland sort of world, where the problem of sexual trafficking either doesn't exist or only just a little bit. (WTF?) Even if sexual trafficking was only a small problem (which it is not), it shouldn't be allowed at all. These also happen to be the types who accuse others of being "hysterical" when presented with the fact that human sexual trafficking is indeed a very serious problem (WTF?) People with an attitude like this need to grow up and stop denying the existence of human sexual trafficking.



Below is the text for the video; Ms. Passion makes a powerful statement with a calm, logical, common-sense approach:

Started by: Sex Workers Outreach Project
ARE YOU REALLY INTERESTED IN STANDING UP AGAINST PIMPS, PREVENTING EXPLOITATION OF MINORS and PREVENTING ANOTHER CRAIGSLIST KILLER?

"My name is Mariko Passion. I am an adult industry worker of 13 years, over the age of 18 and I am not being forced or coerced to do any work with or for anyone. I am not being held against my well. In other words: I am not a sex trafficking victim. I am an advertiser on backpage.com and was a former erotic services provider on Craigslist.com. before the appearance of the Craigslist killer when things became more difficult to advertise. I feel compelled to make this video to put a face to those that do this work and hope that I can urge you to TRULY TAKE A STAND to help those of us that are often victims of violence because we are pushed underground, forced to be ashamed and secretive about what we do and often feel that the police will not want to help us when we are victims of rape, robbery or as we saw in the Philip Markoff case: murder."

"The SOLUTION to combating violence and exploitation in our industry is not to eliminate advertising sources. Many adult providers who are NOT in human trafficking situations are also mothers, part time workers, students in college, artists, persons who would otherwise be homeless or stuck in domestic violence situations and many many other things. Eliminating craigslist adult services and moving onto eliminating ads in backpage, where many of us now advertise will hurt the last bastion of income many of us have."

"I am proposing that advertising outlets that wish to run adult industry ads be required to create a VERIFIED ADULT PROVIDER SECTION in their newspapers or websites. This is very similar to the 2257 laws that the porn industry uses to combat claims of and actually stop the employment of underage performers in their videos. It is also a system that is already in place by other more upscale adult provider websites like Eros.com"

"To advertise in this section MUST BE AFFORDABLE. Every adult provider who comes into the advertising office to verify themselves is actually making a small contribution to STOPPING TRAFFICKING by supporting a simple verification system that helps to prevent exploitation by a 3rd party. This system makes the adult voluntary workers and papers like LA Weekly, gawker, backpage, or others MORE responsible to the realities of possible exploitation that may exist in our work."

"A VERIFIED ADULT PROVIDER SECTION will give verified adult providers ad space at a discounted rate that is competitive with craigslist/backpage rates per week about $35-45/week, which actually will create INDEPENDENCE from agencies or pimps that have more credit cards or capital to invest in full page buyouts of weekly papers, postcard littering campaigns on sidewalks or billboard trucks driving up and down streets. THIS IS HOW A VERIFIED ADULT PROVIDER SECTION WILL TAKE A STAND AGAINST PIMPS AND AGENCIES."

"A VERIFIED ADULT PROVIDER SECTION will ALSO be beneficial to the customers of such ads. There will be no mistaking a A VERIFIED ADULT PROVIDER as a trafficked person or minor. There will also be the added assurance for the client that the provider is only allowed to represent their own image in the ads that they run."

"A VERIFIED ADULT PROVIDER verifies that they are over 18 with government issued ID, are not being held against their will, are not being forced to exchange services by a third party, are entering agreements with clientele from ads willingly, AND are using REAL pictures and representing their own advertising and business decisions as listed in any ads with said publication. They must come into the media outlet office and sign a written agreement."

"Information gathered from VERIFIED ADULT PROVIDER will not contain any more information about the provider than their age and that they are not trafficked. It shall not be used to gather information to be used against the adult providers. NO questions in the verification process will be used to incriminate workers in any way. They are simply verifying that they are over 18 and advertising on their own will. It is a TRUE effort from media publications to help adult worker safety. It is an effort to create a REASONABLE ALTERNATIVE to the strategies currently being used by the moral majority as the solution."

Here is the link for the petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/vi…

I think this is so great. I've been posting it everywhere..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Td…

SEX WORKERS TAKE THE STAGE FOR THE SEX WORKER CABARET
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Doors: 7pm
Performances: 7:30pm to 10pm
Tickets at the door: $10 - $20 sliding scale (Ages: 21+)
Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street, New York, NY
http://www.sexworkercabaret.com


New York, NY - Sex workers take the stage to tell their diverse stories through burlesque, comedy, narrative, contortion, aerial performance, and more. Producers Sarah Jenny and Rachel Grinstein are proud to present an evening cabaret showcasing some of the most vibrant creative talent in the sex worker community. The cabaret is in homage to Annie Oakley's Sex Workers Art Show (1997-2009) and will take place during LGBTQ Pride month, a time to reflect on the importance of community. Come bare witness as sex workers eloquently, and at times raunchily, speak their truths.

The Sex Worker Cabaret will take place on Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 7pm at the Slipper Room located at 167 Orchard Street, New York, NY. The event will be MCed by Go Magazine's 2010 Readers Choice Award "Best MC" winner Sarah Jenny and DJed by DJ Sirlinda (Hey Queen!, Rumours, Gayface). Go-go dancers Calvin Clamdigger, Essence Revealed, and Violet Noxx will grace the stage during intermission.

Performers:
ANNABELLE XAAH
Annabelle Xaah is a Renaissance whore, who likes swinging from ropes, naked, singing and playing the mandolin. Her performance entails rope-swinging burlesque with original badass beats.

DAVID HENRY STERRY
David Henry Sterry was a boy ho, has written 12 books, and performed with everyone from Michael Caine to Will Smith to Zippy the Chimp. He will perform his minute piece from the New York Times lauded anthology, Hos, Hookers, Call Girls and Rent Boys: "Can You Imagine, 82-Year-Old Pussy Tastes Great!"

ESSENCE REVEALED
Essence is a dual degreed, former lap dance engineer of the upscale gentlemen's club scene, from NY to Vegas and sweet, sticky places in between. Essence innovates a dance form she calls "stripperlesque" in an excerpt from the finale of her solo show, Essence Revealed."

GERRY VISCO
Gerry Visco is an illegally blonde writer, performer, photographer, and fashionista, who regularly covers events and the arts for New York Press.

INBRED HYBRID COLLECTIVE WITH LOGAN STEVENS
Inbred Hybrid Collective's mandate is to stimulate a consciousness of the external factors affecting our human existence. Inbred Hybrid Collective will perform a musical conversation between hustlers in Times Square.

JODI SH. DOFF
How did a nice Jewish girl wind up spending a decade naked in Times Square? Writer Jodi Sh. Doff presents a peek from her one woman show.

LORELEI LEE
Lorelei Lee is a student, writer, and porn performer based in Brooklyn. She will read a work of autobiographical fiction.

LYDIA LOVE
Lydia Love mixes movement and spoken-word into performances of sincerity and sensuality. With candidness and complexity, Lydia will perform dance and spoken-word.

MATTHEW LAWRENCE
Matthew Lawrence is a writer and curator from Providence, Rhode Island. He will tell tales of why he wasn't a very good escort.

NICOLETTE DIXON
Nicolette is a theatrical know-it-all, muse, and barstool philosopher with a feminist bent. She will perform a series of monologues and a burlesque routine about lap dancing.