Happy International Sex Worker Pride Day to all sex workers near and far.
Thank you for caring for our communities. Thank you to our Mothers, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera for your labor in keeping our queer communities, especially our youth, housed, fed, and safe during a time where there was little to no support or safe spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Thank you to the pioneers in our movement, Black trans women, Black femmes, Black queer women, Black nonbinary folx who have and continue to fight for the rights of sex workers.
Although it is a month of celebration for all sex workers – online cam models, bikini baristas, strippers/dancers, dominatrixes, burlesque dancers, the list goes on… – it is important for ALL sex workers to fight for the occupational health and safety of other sex workers working in unsafe conditions such as street sex workers, and houseless sex workers working out of their motel/airbnb/hotel/couchsurfing/car. Use your voice, access to resources, privilege to keep each other safe. We all we got!
If you want to volunteer to do some street outreach with our SWEI team, sign up for Starlight Outreach. We also have Moonlight Outreach 3rd Wednesdays of the month. We are out on the streets providing safety kits, meals, and requested supplies to support sex workers in their work.
Sex Worker babes, come work on your fitness with other sex workers by signing up for BASE (Building Autonomy and Safety for Everyone), a program of @QueertheLand – We will be focusing on Basic boxing – lot of the physical self defense tools are born out of the movements of basic boxing. Boxing is a highly important foundation and fundamental to subsequent physical self defense movements such as balance, stance and proper punching technique. Rosie Diño, our facilitator, will be teaching an interactive, no person-to-person contact class that will require partner drills (partner holding target pads) but can be adjusted based on comfort and access needs. Spaces are limited to 20 slots unless you can bring your own boxing gloves and pads.
Harm Reduction WERQS is for drug users only, open to all drug users. It is a safe, non-judgmental space facilitated by current and former drug users. It is similar to the 12-step N.A. program but the goal of the group isn’t focused solely on abstinence but on reducing harm. Attendees will have access to harm reduction supplies. We know that drug users are also in our communities doing harm reduction work unpaid and in informal ways so we do not put up barriers in accessing supplies needed to save lives. No need to sign up – open to walk-ins.
If you have any questions or concerns, please send us an email at swei@utopiawa.org