December 17th 2016 International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

It’s December 17th, which means it’s International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.

I only have about 18 minutes to finish this blog (and then it’ll be December 18th, which is nothing special, other than the fact that it’s my best friend’s birthday, which is very relevant in my world, but not so much in yours), so I’ll make this quick:

This is real. We are your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and lovers–all of those, past, present, and future. Sex workers are everywhere. Worldwide.

These are the ones we lost in 2016.

Someone you know is a sex worker.

How can YOU fight violence against sex workers?

Well, there’s the obvious: don’t assault, rape, or kill sex workers. But that’s easy, because you, Dear Reader, aren’t the type of person to do that anyway, are you?

But are you the type to laugh at “dead hooker in a trunk” jokes?

Are you the type to perpetuate the “strippers have daddy issues” trope?

Do you support the criminalization of sex work?

Do you perpetuate the harmful stigma surrounding sex work, and the media images that portray us as either sexual deviants or passive victims?

Maybe you should, in your own way–whatever that may look like for YOU–promote the idea that sex workers are people, sex work is real work, and we deserve the same basic respect that is extended to any other people doing any other work.

Even if you’ve never “met with” one of us, look around. Someone you know is a sex worker.

6 Replies to “December 17th 2016 International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers”

  1. Annie – The sex worker stigmatism reminds me of the 1947 film Gentlemen’s Agreement. Just substitute sex worker in your mind whenever you hear Jew in the film.
    I just checked and it is available on Netflix.
    Jim

    1. Hey Jim! I just noticed this comment. Thanks for the movie recommendation! I’m excited to see how whorephobia today resembles a 1947 film about antisemitism. Maybe I’ll watch it tonight.

  2. In my way prostitute girls in Gurgaon have their own way to live life and prostitute girls in gurgaon are also human so we don’t have to behave different with prostitute girls in gurgaon.

  3. Hey Annie i think you have a right suggestion to the upper comment and i think female sex workers have their own choice to work and anybody don’t have a right to say something to them. Thank you for sharing this article with us it helps me a lot to know more about sex workers.

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