12/17/08: National March for Sex Workers' Rights

On Wednesday, December 17th the National March for Sex Worker Rights will happen in Washington DC.

Below are some of the demands that the participants are asking for from the Obama administration:

1. Stop Shaming Us to Death

In the past two years we've seen two women commit suicide after high-profile sex scandals related to politicians. We are outraged that those who provide services, especially women, including transgender women carry the burden of sexual shame and punishment in our society while the very people who use our services are creating and enforcing legislation that violates our human rights. Furthermore, we are frustrated that the media emphasizes violence against female sex workers while ignoring the homophobia and transphobia that fuel violence against men and trans people in our community.

2. Violence Against Sex Workers Is Not Acceptable

Violence against us is not only tolerated, but even expected by society. Gary Leon Ridgway, the Green River Killer, murdered more than 60 women over a 21-year periodwith impunity. When he was finally apprehended he was quoted as saying: "I thought I could get away with killing hookers because nobody cares about them... I was doing the cops a favor by cleaning the trash up off the street." It is clear that labeling sex workers as criminals puts us at odds with law enforcement who should be protecting us and it sends a message to society that sex workers are expendable. Sex workers should not be criminals and violence against us should be classified as hate crime.

3. Listen to Sex Workers

Sex workers and their allies around the world have been in the forefront of the struggle against human trafficking, working together to address force, coercion and other abuses in the sex industry. Sex work done consensually by adults is distinctly different from human trafficking. The conflation of these concepts inhibits our role in contributing solutions to human trafficking and other abuses in our industry. There is a great deal of expertise from our communities defining safe work environments, identifying abusive situations and establishing a culturally appropriate community-based response to these problems.

4. Sex Workers Are Part of the Solution- Don't Silence Us!

The Report of the Commission on AIDS in Asia noted that sex workers are part of the solution to preventing the spread of HIV. This year, United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon called for an end to discrimination against sex workers noting that prevention is only available to sex workers in countries with laws that protect them. Harmful policies such as the Anti-Prostitution Pledge in PEPFAR gag sex workers and the agencies that serve us by forbidding funding to any organization that does not condemn the sex industry. There is much to be gained by repealing the Pledge and working with sex worker and public health organizations to define best practices.