Why am I campaigning to end the social stigma surrounding sex work?
I am campaigning to end the social stigma around sex work because I feel that it is the shaming and stigmatising sex workers is where the real danger lies. Because that causes sex workers to live more dangerously in isolation and fear, without support. I don’t believe sex work itself to be dangerous. Being a soldier on the front line, that’s dangerous. It’s the aggressive men who are dangerous and at the root of the issue not the sex work itself. And unfortunately, aggressive men exist anywhere and everywhere. Yes, there are vulnerabilities that come with sex work, I’m not denying that but there are lots of vulnerabilities in life; walking home at night, getting a cab, going on a tinder date, social media. If I can help sex work become more accepted by society and bring it to the mainstream, that in turn will then allow sex workers to have a voice and the confidence to talk to the police should they need to. The current issue that we face is that anyone intent on exploiting sex workers know that the chances are, they will get away with it because either the sex worker feels too ashamed to report it or even if they did, the police may not take them seriously.
When it comes to professions, it’s alwaysthe sex workers who are shamed and discriminated against the most. That stigma then allows the exploitation and traffickers to flourish. That’s where the real danger lies. Through lack of support and not allowing sex workers to have a voice and speak openly about their profession for fear of judgement and ridicule. But I’m here to change all of that. Ending the stigma will ultimately make life safer for sex workers. Sex workers have suffered in silence for long enough. Now is the time for change.
Imagine a world without sex workers. What would that look like? Undoubtedly, there would be a rise in mental health issues, substance abuse and possibly even suicides. Because sex workers have the power to heal. With a sex worker you get that skin-on-skin connection and energy that you can’t get from an actual therapist. Sex work really is helping people, listening to people, engaging, being understanding and being present with people in order to help them feel their best. That is something to be applauded, not shamed.