i`ve never really been what you may call a techno minded forward thinker, insomuch, I have always dug my heels in when it comes to technology, preferring instead to met & talk to people...but the internet for all its bad shit..& does`nt everything have a minus side...has brought many sexworkers both together & with others outside of the usual sexworker domain. Sexwork can be & has been, certainly for women like myself who are older now, a lonely place, & not much room for expression outside of work. I know this is a bit long winded but bare with me. As a Dom & never an ex-Dom, despite age. I have been always trying to express my life career choice & fighting its corner now for eons; despite living in a complacent country, despite living, now, in an out of the way area, & despite having no sexworkers whatsoever within miles to talk to...but thankfully at this time in my life...the internet appeared, bringing more of us together from wider areas, both geographically & types of work.
Which has got to be a step in the right direction. Add to this I have been head-turned into viewing you tube on occasions & it seems to be the video market place for art, thought & entertainment made by ordinary folks, at times.
But, & this is my whinge, I cannot find one video clip that is pro-prostitution, made by a sexworker herself, with all the positive aspects of sexwork in any of its forms! Not one intelligent, well thought out clip.
Am I missing something?
maybe I have`nt just looked right, but if I have...it reflects the `lack` of good documentary pro-prostition/sexwork material there must be out there. If I had all the right techno stuff...I`d be doing it myself. I & am sure you have all always known about the down side of sexwork...but no different to any other profession in the same circumstances, if they were illegal too.
I have spoken in my diary of my thoughts around sexwork issues, so my views are open, & hope sometime this year to set up a web-site for sexworkers..it would be the first one in the UK (as I realise most of journals viewers are probably USA or Canada based...am I right?).
You have all your pro-prostitution meetings/marches..but outside of London here in UK...its a desert, believe me.
Why are`nt we globally more pro-active? I can be off-line for the next 12 months & all the sites, all the news are what seems to be repeats..if you get my drift..please put me right, hit me, or just direct me...I`ve always been so desperate to see change..at least in my lifetime.
Which has got to be a step in the right direction. Add to this I have been head-turned into viewing you tube on occasions & it seems to be the video market place for art, thought & entertainment made by ordinary folks, at times.
But, & this is my whinge, I cannot find one video clip that is pro-prostitution, made by a sexworker herself, with all the positive aspects of sexwork in any of its forms! Not one intelligent, well thought out clip.
Am I missing something?
maybe I have`nt just looked right, but if I have...it reflects the `lack` of good documentary pro-prostition/sexwork material there must be out there. If I had all the right techno stuff...I`d be doing it myself. I & am sure you have all always known about the down side of sexwork...but no different to any other profession in the same circumstances, if they were illegal too.
I have spoken in my diary of my thoughts around sexwork issues, so my views are open, & hope sometime this year to set up a web-site for sexworkers..it would be the first one in the UK (as I realise most of journals viewers are probably USA or Canada based...am I right?).
You have all your pro-prostitution meetings/marches..but outside of London here in UK...its a desert, believe me.
Why are`nt we globally more pro-active? I can be off-line for the next 12 months & all the sites, all the news are what seems to be repeats..if you get my drift..please put me right, hit me, or just direct me...I`ve always been so desperate to see change..at least in my lifetime.
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United Kingdom
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Re: wheres our voice?
Sun, May 4, 2008 - 10:50 AMI think the education may play a key role in both " normalizing" the profession and also to preserve sex worker's knowledge and experience.
It always seems sad that sex workers needs to hide the wealth of knowledge and experience on human sexuality she /he accumulated over years, when she finally " retire". It would be nice to see " not for profit" organization that archives sex workers experience as well as offer classes on sexual dynamics and technical knowledge. As the general public come in contact with sex workers as educators, they will also view her work like privately commissioned art/ performance. Perhaps this can be achieved not through a centralized large organization but many small ones networking together.
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Re: wheres our voice?
Mon, May 5, 2008 - 11:07 AMManutea..I really love the way you have put in a nutshell how I also see the future of sexwork & sexworkers forming.....I think it will prove, once realised, once understood ...to be one of the most important cultural steps globally we can make..& the fruits will be rewarded for years to come. Nicely put!
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Re: wheres our voice?
Sun, May 4, 2008 - 12:49 PMLynne,
There is a group called the Desiree Alliance that hosts a sex worker conference each year. I went to part of the one that was held in SF and it was fantastic. There were every sort of sex worker there, from phone sex to escorts to pro-dommes to strippers. It was very community oriented and lots of community building went on. They also do lots of other stuff. This is their website: www.desireealliance.org/
There is also this group which seems international: www.nswp.org/ -
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Re: wheres our voice?
Mon, May 5, 2008 - 11:14 AMThanks robin, yes I am aware of desiree alliance & nswp...they are really good...I suppose I am looking for what I want to create anyway, not only the first british web that is about sexwork for sexworkers & others..also a huge effort to connect in an obvious way..where we see sexworkers in the news, on serious documentaries etc, in a way that gets to the core of sexwork, to dispel myth making & stigmatisation..not just on the sad, sad victims of life..though we know they are there...`they` are also used as masks to screen to `truth` about ourselves in our social sexual hang-ups....but we are up against religious extremists & political extremists (who`s extreme natures are not always so obvious)....I know also this way of thinking will take a long time & cannot change over night.
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Re: wheres our voice?
Thu, June 19, 2008 - 10:51 PM"Sexwork can be & has been, certainly for women like myself who are older now, a lonely place, & not much room for expression outside of work."
This is what brings me here, searching around tribe. Wondering if anyone knows about any groups or meetings or tribes or whathaveyou where sexworkers get together, and share space. One of the worst aspects of sex work, when compared to, say, waiting tables, has been a lack of co-worker support. And the laws, and moral discrimination against us prevent us from connecting.
Any know of any groups in/around sf that get together more than once a year for some march/demonstration, where people can simply meet and greet?
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Re: wheres our voice?
Thu, June 19, 2008 - 11:10 PMOh, and, Youtube has at least a little bit:
www.youtube.com/watch
etc.
Though yeah, most of the stuff from searching shows stuff that is anti-sex work.
One odd thing: most of the pro-sex stuff is very poorly done. Little artistic flair, low marketing capacity, no memetic power really. And strangely doesn't use the main thing about sex-work that tends to sell: the sex.
In a war for ideas, the best campaign will win.
Of course, the people who's opinion it is most important to sway is actually that of other women, for the most part. For this, I think an image that could be portrayed would be powerful, confident, funny and quirky, stylish, sophisticated and yes, beautiful women who have pride in what they do, and talk about it.
Sounds like an interesting idea for youtube videos.
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Re: wheres our voice?
Sun, July 13, 2008 - 5:18 AMIn Scotland there's Scot-PEP, for example, and there's actually an excellent guide- www.uknswp.org/resources.asp
I also recently got filmed for a short documentary on sex work, and while I'm currently in Poland and not able to continue my project, I've started drawing an outline for some research. If you want it done, you gotta do it!
