Anonymous asked: Hi. Me: Feminist for 10 yrs, sex-worker for 15 yrs. I 've never taken an anti-porn/anti-sex/anti-whatever-consenting-ppl-do-with-their-bodies stance. Perhaps b/c I found feminism via sex-work my exp. is unique, but I've seen anti-SW feminism at most 2 or 3 times in 10 yrs. Yet anti-feminist SWs hatred of feminists abounds. My ?s are: where do you find rabidly anti-SW fems, & how do you view/account for ppl like me: able to be both feminist & a sex-worker? (abbvs to save space, not b/c I'm 12.)
So, I actually typed a response to this last night, but my Internet went weird on me and deleted what I wrote… I was too tired to type it up again, so here is my response.
Most of my encounters with anti-SW feminists have happened in feminist spaces and “feminist” texts, blogs, various forms of online media, and safe spaces. I would hear derogatory comments about sex work(ers) from people who, I thought, should have known better. I have also heard stories from sex workers about anti-SW feminists.
Personally, I don’t think there’s anything weird/wrong/whatever about being both a sex worker and a feminist. If that is the label and movement you identify with, that is your choice, and anti-SW feminists can’t take that away from you. There are plenty of other feminists who are helping in the fight for sex workers’ rights, and they will be the ones who will include you in their movement (although, even pro-SW feminists may not really be inclusive of sex workers, but that’s another issue). Plus, there are other sex workers who identify with feminism.
Because there are so many problems with the feminist movement, both historically and present-day, I don’t identify as a feminist. That is my own issue, and I am not going to have a problem with someone else identifying as feminist as long as they don’t force the label on me.
Are there any feminist sex workers reading this blog that would like to share their opinions?
