sex work

Rape or “Bondage Session Gone Haywire”? Rape Apologists Speculate.

by Cara July 20, 2011

Trigger Warning on post and links for graphic descriptions of sexual violence against sex workers, including sexual torture; rape apologism This past April, a woman who was doing sex work was picked up by one John Hauff and driven to his home to engage in a pre-negotiated sexual encounter. Hauff requested some bondage elements in [...]

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Louisiana Law Forces Many Sex Workers to Register as Sex Offenders

by Cara March 22, 2011

Trigger Warning for descriptions of sexual violence and abuses against sex workers Last week, Jordan Flaherty wrote an article at Colorlines about how sex workers are being punished under an archaic and punitive law that specifically targets those who are convicted of selling oral or anal sex (as opposed to vaginal sex). The law makes [...]

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Off-Duty Cis Cop Allegedly Assaults Trans Woman, But She’s The One Who Is Charged

by Cara December 21, 2010

Trigger Warning for transphobic violence and police violence At the beginning of December, an altercation between a trans woman and an off-duty police officer resulted in the woman being charged with assault (h/t). The problem is that this charge is in spite of the fact that she alleges the officer assaulted her — and that [...]

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International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

by Cara December 17, 2010

Trigger Warning for violence against sex workers, including but not limited to sexual violence and police violence Today, December 17, is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is a day to remember sex workers who have been murdered, and to acknowledge and spread [...]

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Woman Jailed for Becoming Pregnant, Then Died From Lack of Medical Treatment

by Cara November 18, 2010

Trigger Warning for prison abuse, specifically denial of medical treatment, and reproductive rights violations. At the beginning of this year, a 27-year-old woman named Amy Lynn Gillespie died (h/t @DCdebbie). She was 18 weeks pregnant, and died in a hospital after being transferred there by Allegheny County Jail, which was currently detaining her. The problem [...]

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U.S. Sex Worker Advocates Expose Human Rights Violations Before United Nations

by Cara November 4, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of human rights violations against sex workers, as well as sex trafficking and sexual violence. Tomorrow November 5, the United Nations will, for the first time under its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) system, review the human rights record of the United States. That’s a pretty big deal period, especially since the [...]

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U.S. Continues to Discriminate Against Sex Workers, Deny HIV Prevention Funding

by Cara July 27, 2010

Last Friday, Titania Kumeh wrote an excellent blog post at Mother Jones about the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, and the over 100 sex workers and advocates who protested outside. The protest was about how U.S. funding to fight HIV transmission explicitly and deliberately excludes sex workers, even though they are one of the groups [...]

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New Report Details Police Abuses Against Cambodian Sex Workers

by Cara July 20, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of sexual violence and police violence, specifically including violence against sex workers and transphobic violence. Earlier this year, I wrote about an Amnesty International report about sexual violence against women in Cambodia, and the judicial response (or more accurately, lack of judicial response) to sexual violence. A section of that report [...]

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Oregon Police Officer Confesses to Sexual Violence Against Sex Workers

by Cara July 2, 2010

Trigger Warning for descriptions of sexual violence, specifically sexual violence against sex workers. Continuing in an unfortunately long line of stories about police officers using their state power as a means to commit sexual violence against women, comes this one out of Oregon. An officer named Joshua Jensen (left) was alleged to have forced two [...]

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NY Bill Allows Sex Trafficking Victims to Clear Prostitution Convictions

by Cara June 28, 2010

Good News: earlier this month, the New York State legislature passed a bill allowing victims of sex trafficking to have prostitution convictions against them vacated. The bill currently only awaits Governor Paterson’s signature, but activists are hopeful that he will give it his stamp of approval: Sex trafficking victims may soon be able to have [...]

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