NFSW: This Week in Newds 7/26/21
As a sex worker, opting out of politics, current events, updates to social media platforms and the status of laws and legislations isn't an option. Our work and day to day lives are, unfortunately, heavily affected by changes in all of these areas. The sex working community has been rallying for decriminalization on a local, national, and even global level for decades, long before I even stepped into my first whore heels. Now there's a push for progressive action in not only decriminalization, but active rights and protections, potential unions, accurate and beneficial media representation, less digital censorship and for moving the power and profit gained from the industry directly into the pockets of those doing the work. Weekly, we'll be gathering some of the latest political and pop culture headlines making waves in the community.
There are two competing bills in New York: One would punish pimps and customers, while the other would decriminalize the entire trade. Local (and international) sex workers are advocating for the latter. Recently, a number of New York State laws have been implemented to expunge the records of trafficking victims, but given the range of experiences within the industry, not everyone agrees on how to approach the shift. T.S. Candii, a Black Trans sex worker and leader in the sex worker liberation movement (an active member of the coalition DecrimNY, as well as the founder of Black Trans Nation) spoke to the NY Times about why sex workers are in favor of the Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act, along with other local, and former, sex workers. Read the full piece here.
If you're not a Brandi Love fan, yeah, you're not alone. The MAGA mega-porn star was recently banned from a from a conservative political conference (TPUSA) just for being a porn star. The 48-year-old adult Industry star had attended multiple panels at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, when she discovered that her VIP badge had been revoked, and she was no longer allowed to attend the event. She was reportedly banned due to the fact that the event caters to minors, and received vocal disdain from Candace Owens regarding her attendance. Okay, the whorephobia isn't funny, but the irony definitely is. Read the full interview with Love on the Daily Beast, here.
The Oregon Sex Workers Human Rights Commission held a public hearing Thursday to talk about why they believe decriminalization will protect sex workers from violence, decrease health risks and help to protect BIPOC and transgender communities. It featured testimony from a panel of a dozen experts, as well as testimony from dozens of past and current sex workers, advocates and allies. Many experts on the panel, amongst them Elle Stranger, argued that the push for decriminalization relies on a distinction between consensual sex work and sex trafficking. Read the full coverage on OPB here,
I'm sure we're all familiar with Instagram's new sensitivity filter, brought to most of our attentions via helpful infographics circulating on our feeds. Many SWer's, queer, LGBTQ and POC artists, as well as sex-positive educators are being disproportionately affected by the "sensitivity" setting, in which IG allows users to individually alter their settings to automatically filter content deemed "sensitive or offensive" by the app. The setting is limiting their (our) reach and that followers should disable the filter to ensure their (our) posts get through. Read the full article on the Verge for more thorough coverage here.
Leave a comment