by Furry Girl
05.16.11
I'm launching SWAAY soon, and now that I've decided which directions to be pulling in and how, I need to flesh out the site with the right sort of content to make it awesome. This is my first of three call-outs for participation. Also see my requests for personal stories from sex workers, advice on how to be a good ally to sex workers, and sex workers' rights links and resources.
It's easier to disregard web sites with perfectly good arguments and politics where you know the author only as a fake name and an avatar of cleavage or a high heel. (That's why I have a photo of my face at the top right corner of my blog, despite having a silly work name. I'm not just a faceless internet text generator, I'm a person!) I want to include lots of little personal stories and tidbits throughout the site, coupled with small photos of your lovely faces to drive home that you're a person, too.
I believe that one of the failings of the American sex workers' rights movement is its general non-interest in building bridges with or including outreach for clients and customers. When clients come up in sex workers' web sites and blogs, it tends to be as a punch line or tale of irritation or danger. They are often painted poorly, as lonely freaks or (comically) weird dudes that don't understand boundaries.
So, what's being done do encourage clients to behave better? Where's the outreach to explain the social etiquette of patronizing sex workers? Surely, this is not something taught to people growing up. There's no point where your mom takes you aside at puberty and tells you about where babies come from, and that if you ever visit a prostitute, you should be freshly showered and discreet when arriving at her incall.
I can tell you that there are a lot of customers out there who do care about purchasing ethical sex and sexual entertainments. They don't want to buy porn from a company that mistreats performers. They don't want to end up supporting a violent pimp or seeing an escort who hates her job and feels harmed by it. Where's the recognition of these people, and the interest in cultivating more ethical consumers in the sex industry?
One of the sections on swaay.org will be for clients and customers, with tips on how to be a respectful purchaser of the services of sex workers. Want to be a part of that?
Update: please visit the submissions page on SWAAY.org
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Furry Girl: a good time not yet had by all.
Activism
- I operate SWAAY.org, an accessible sex workers' rights site that educates the general public about our lives and our issues.
- I've been vegan for 12 years because it's the easiest way for an individual to contribute to less violence, suffering, and exploitation.
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- Cocksexual.com: Strapons
- EroticRed.com: Menstruation
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- VegPorn.com: Herbivores
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- Things I've gained from being a sex worker: an anti-paternalistic perspective
- Three out of four ain't bad: my thoughts on Audacia Ray's post on the dominant narratives of sex work
- Vigilantism and 'crushing bastards': in praise of anger, hatred, and taking joy in the smiting of one's enemies
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- What do I mean when I say "sex worker"? Why I'm against an overly-broad definition
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Favorite sex/ho blogs
- Amanda Brooks
- Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers
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- Dan Savage on SLOG
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I hate to be hustled. It makes me crazy when I get caught in a scam and makes me leery of every sex worker I meet. I know the title is Hustler but I hate it. Let me tell you what I want you give me a price or refuse and maybe we can develop a working relationship. I feel the same way about my grocer, or taxi driver.
Comment by Steve Banner — May 16, 2011 @ 1:21 pm
I know the title is Hustler, but I truly hate to be conned. I'm leery of anyone in the sex industry, employer or worker. It's all, somethin for nothin and get your kicks for free. I want to treat my sex worker, or employer the same way I treat my grocer, or carpenter. fair value and respect.
Comment by Steve Banner — May 16, 2011 @ 1:26 pm
While I'm unable to put a headshot next to a comment about myself as a sex worker, I want to thank you for doing this. I've written about respect for clients in the past and think it is an important part of the sex workers rights movement. It keeps everyone safer and happier :)
Comment by Ellie — May 17, 2011 @ 7:36 am
For several years I have been a regular customer of 2 sexworkers in the greater Los Angeles Area. I always treat them in a Fair and professional matter, I am generous with them, when I visit them in their incall I shower, shave, spray on colone, practice good oral hygene, and almost always take them giftss. that is probably why it is them that almost always call me and ask me to go see them!!
Comment by Armando Quintana — May 19, 2011 @ 9:35 am
Steve: Thanks for your reverse tips, but I'm not looking for input from clients about what they want in a sex worker. Further, I've found that the type of men who get most uppity about sex workers "hustling" them are ones trying to talk people down on their prices or get freebies.
Ellie : You're welcome. I understand not everyone's okay with face shots, but for this project, I want to emphasize our non-facelessness.
Armando: Good hygiene and gifts are always appreciated. :)
Comment by Furry Girl — May 19, 2011 @ 7:33 pm
70 words? Your description of what you are looking for in the submission is 63 words long. Really 70 words? Did you mean 700?
I'm happy to put something together and use a headshot.
Will you add me to your blogroll please?
Comment by Widow Centauri — June 1, 2011 @ 12:24 am
Widow: 70 words, like it says. I'm not looking to compile a book-length anthology, I'm looking for bite-sized tips. This is what 70 words looks like:
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas ornare mattis ligula, vitae pulvinar nisl facilisis vitae. Mauris nulla dolor, condimentum eget convallis id, malesuada quis elit. Praesent sit amet dolor nulla. Sed eget enim ultricies lorem gravida volutpat nec ut odio. Mauris felis turpis, scelerisque in tristique eu, malesuada eget turpis. Ut consectetur hendrerit leo, at porta justo sagittis id. Nam sit amet mi ac odio accumsan sollicitudin in."
It doesn't cover everything any client could possibly do to be respectful, but that's the point of having contributions from many different people.
Comment by Furry Girl — June 1, 2011 @ 2:17 pm
Comment by Trackbacks — May 17, 2012 @ 7:48 am