On June 15, 2010 the New York State senate passed a bill that, effective as soon as Governor Paterson signs it, enables survivors of human trafficking to vacate their convictions for prostitution-related offenses. This amendment …
Read the full story »In the United States, there are lots of opportunities for sex worker advocacy at the local level. Our training details the legislative process and shows you how to be a stronger advocate.
We conduct research about sex workers and the sex industry in order to better understand it, develop public education initiatives, and advocate for the rights of sex workers.
Sex Work 101 is a basic primer on issues affecting sex workers. It adds to public knowledge about sex work and encourages discussion about the issues sex workers face.
Annual media training workshop for sex workers that builds skills in traditional and new media, including mastering an interview, writing a press release, and building an online campaign.
We produce advocacy and public education videos and prepare sex workers to participate in television and documentary interviews.
Sex Work Awareness recently implemented its first day-long Speak Up media training workshop, which took place in New York at the Harm Reduction Coalition in mid-April 2009. At the end of the day, the workshop participants made a minute long public service announcement video and audio recording.
Also available, click to download (and feel free to include in your podcast!) AUDIO: I Am a Sex Worker
Tuesday , February 23rd, 6:00pm-8:30pm
At the Urban Justice Center in NYC
Ask most people about government and they tend to talk about their federal representatives, the White House, or maybe the Mayor. But the state government …
Sex Work Awareness (SWA) has been named the United States country research partner for the Exploratory Research on Internet & Sexuality (EROTICS) research project, funded by the Association for Progressive Communications. Other research teams are from …
Sex Work 101 was inspired by conversations that happened during the Women, Action and the Media 2008 conference held in Cambridge, MA from March 28-30, 2008.
Former $pread magazine editor and board member of Sex Work …
For the Second Edition of the Speak Up! Media Training for the Empowered Sex Worker manual, we’ve updated our examples, refined our approached, and added more goodies.
Here are some of the subjects covered in the …
On June 15, 2010 the New York State senate passed a bill that, effective as soon as Governor Paterson signs it, enables survivors of human trafficking to vacate their convictions for prostitution-related offenses. This amendment …
[...] a minute Because some of the women in this one minute I Am a Sex Worker PSA remind me of friends of mine, I wanted to share this on their behalf. The rest of the site is [...]
Fabulous!!! Thank you all for creating such a warm and loving PSA. It made my eyes water …in a good way. If I had seen something like this when I was working, it would have helped me in so many ways. I can’t say I ever really felt guilty about SW (I’m sure I had some shame-based thoughts here and there …but who doesn’t in this anti-sex culture). But, I did feel alone. I felt so alone even though I knew that there were lots of folks doing all kinds of SW. And we are mediated to adopt beliefs that SW is a special case–distinct and separate from real life. It can really hurt to feel like there is no other choice but to dissociate. PSA’s like this could do so much good for the ways that we think about ourselves because it helps to know that we are not alone in being the real-complex persons that dream and bake and live.
Elizabeth
Detroit, MI USA
[...] And…a hell of a lot more of THIS would certainly help thing a lot, too (just another of a thousand reasons why Audacia Ray kicks serious ASS): [...]
I dont know what to write but I want to say that I am a sex worker so everyone can know.
What a beautiful simple and powerful clip. Imagine if we all did this sex workers from every country in the the world… then joined our clips together…different accents, languages, genders, styles, etc.
SWA what do you think?
I cooked a 5 courses meal for 400 people last week…… and i m a sexworker
[...] Warning! contains sound: http://www.sexworkawareness.org/i-am-a-sex-worker-video-and-audio-psa/ [...]
I love this PSA! So we put it on our blog as the “featured video” for today. Thanks for posting it!
Well done. I have been “out” about it in my past only to wish that I had not. I’m a private person, certainly not an activist by any means. Thanks for the work that you do. I’m not sure exactly which way to go. To sit on the sidelines fuels the isolation and tiny lies. It’s exhausting.
beautiful in its simplicity, but i could also see it being expanded into something much more in depth. bravo!
i am many things… one of which happens to be a sex worker.
[...] this next week at the Sex Worker Film, Art & Musical Festival in San Francisco along with the PSA I am a sex worker. Although this post is somewhat of a rant of my frustrations and confusion the film itself was [...]
I’m candidate at the European Parliament the election day 6/7 june
and I’m a sex worker for ever
They all look so clean too. It’s so weird to see them without being stereotypes covered in makeup and eyeshadow.
recent graduate – babysitter – webmaster – sex worker!
[...] like the “Sex Workers Are People, Too” PSA, I’d love to see a “Sex Work is Work” PSA. I think that we’re much more [...]
I agree that the video could have been expanded. I see the potential for a documentary with a similar theme.
I am a manager at Dunkin Donuts/ Baskin Robbins and I am a sex worker!!!!!! cream and sugar in ur coffee??????
I’m a potter, a college drop-out, a back-packer, and a dancer, and I’m an aspiring sex worker.
Love yr site.is great to have more pple/media respecting sex workers. Oz sex woker supports provide great info at my brothel.
This is my story&sex work makes me feel like crap.
i do sex work in an expensive brothel in australia.im definitely not proud of myself.I might try independent online -to have more control..The ostracization frm “non working people” does my head in too.Also,most of the guys-clients are o.k but sometimes you get really creepy guys and it ruins the job.We can refuse(by excuse) the creepy clients but sometimes you cant tell.The most innocent looking men can be really worringly sick & perverted.(&im not talking about accepted kinks)
Its not a moral thing that i dont like my job,its an emotional thing. I dont want unhealthy men in my space anymore,i deserve that right. I feel it psychically drains me .At work i see other woman b/c like robots with clients – that disturbs me.If u can handle doing this work, go for it,life is short.goodluck deanna
This is brilliant, it made me smile. Such heartfelt honesty, pride, and courage – may all sex workers feel this comfortable in their skin and be proud of the work they do.
I’m a Hospital Critical Care Nurse, and I too am a sex worker