Sex Work

[lydy]

You may or may not know that when I was 23 and 24, I worked in a massage parlor, doing some pretty low-grade sex work.  It was an interesting experience of which I am not ashamed, but one which I have always had trouble putting into words.  This article is brilliant, and articulates much of what I've wanted to say about those experiences.  If you have any curiosity about sex work, you should read this.  And if you feel like you know everything you need to know, you should read this.  

No, seriously, you should read this.

/nplusonemag.com/issue-35/essays/cashconsent/

Comments

[ambyr]

Thank you for sharing this link.

[lydy]

The thing I like best about this article is the nuanced way in which she talks about consent. A lot of the discourse around consent, especially when it comes to sex, is very binary, when in real life, consent is complex and contextual. I also like the way she talks about sex work as work, and the way capitalism interacts with consent. It's just a really, really good article.

[matt_doyle]

This was a sobering and thoughtful read. Maybe most striking to me was that our efforts to fight forced trafficking through criminalization and closing off avenues are closing off avenues of safety and security, and we need to think very carefully about how we're defining what and who acceptable collateral damage are. The rest - I've known enough sex workers to have been conscious of the grey and mutable areas of consent that get moved through, but I've never had it articulated to clearly or in such detail. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to consider it again.