sex work Archives

essay collection

nonfiction

Three repeating images of the cover of We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival

literature

How New Anthology “We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival” Honors Sex Workers’ Truths

We Too maps out the underground ecosystems of sex worker survival and self-determination that are literally the building blocks of a new world order.

Aegor Ray —

Apr 5, 2021

sex work

A person with long dark hair in a ponytail wearing glasses and a scarf reads a book curled up in a window corner.

literature

Like a Stiletto to the Heart: Sex Worker Stories You Should Know and Love

A resource guide to some of the crucial narratives and literary works around sex workers’ experiences in publication, from one of the editors of new anthology of sex workers’ writing…

Natalie West —

Feb 15, 2021

sex work

Tracee of the Sopranos, wearing a fancy updo and red evening gown, stares down Ralph, who we only see from behind. The image has a red cast and is given a red ribboned border, with the text SCARLET SCREENS in the lower righthand corner.

television

Scarlet Screens: The Fallen Tracee and Sex Industry Labor Rights in “The Sopranos”

In the first essay in Scarlet Screens, we look at the “University” episode of the Sopranos, where Ralphie murders Tracee. We explore the labor conditions at the Bada Bing Club,…

Erin Taylor —

Nov 5, 2020

sex work

a group of people protesting in the street and soberly walking across a crosswalk. the person in the center wears black boots, black fishenets, a black body suit, a lilac scarf over their face and is carrying a hot pink and black cheetah megaphone across their body. they look downcast. behind them a protest sign half blocked by the people walking says "end racism in strip clubs #pdxstripperstrike"

politics + activism

Haymarket Pole Collective Is Organizing For Sex Workers’ Labor Rights

Cat Hollis founded Haymarket Pole Collective to create a place for Black sex workers to feel safe and to organize and advocate for their rights. “We’re oppressed as groups, not…

Zoe Sigman —

Oct 6, 2020

bi week 2020

bisexuality

Two people clink champagne glasses, one with painted fingernails, in a field of bi+ flag colors. In the upper left hand corner, a text box reads AUTOSTRADDLE BI WEEK 2020.

society + culture

Pushing Daddy Harder: What Being a Bisexual Sugar Baby Has Taught Me

Dancing around his apartment with a bottle of Dom Perignon in hand, I learned I couldn’t speak for anyone but myself.

Kimberly Contessa —

Sep 20, 2020

comics/graphic novels

sci-fi/fantasy

Two brightly colored figures, one brown with brown hair and one white with red hair, clutch each other and kiss as they seem to be pulled in opposite directions by an imposing crowd of riot police drawn in grays and browns

literature

In “SFSX,” Tina Horn Builds a Purity-Obsessed Sci-Fi Vision of our Dystopian Present

Autostraddle recently spoke with Tina Horn via video call to chat about the first volume of SFSX, her myriad influences, building community around art, the sex worker rights’ movement, and…

James Factora —

Sep 11, 2020

No Justice No Pride

principles of pride

lgbt pride

Principles of Pride: Sex Work Is Real Work, Sex Workers Are Fucking Revolutionary

A free world for sex workers would be a free world for people’s bodies, desires, and pleasures — that is to say, a world worth fighting for.

Kai Cheng —

Jun 16, 2020

sex work

visual art

Exorcisms, Instagram Strip Clubs, and Extraterrestrials: An Interview With Artist Gia Fagnelli

“I’m the first google result for ‘lesbian stripper’ and I’m so fucking proud of that!”

danijanae —

May 28, 2020

community check

covid-19

culture

Organizing A Sex Work COVID-19 Relief Fund Restored My Faith In Community

People are coming together around this thing we’re doing – and so many other mutual aid projects – and it’s more powerful and vibrant than almost anything I’d experienced in…

Kai Cheng —

May 19, 2020

covid-19

sex work

politics + activism

COVID-19 Is Laying Bare the Vulnerabilities of Sex Workers, So Often Canaries in the Coalmine

Centering sex workers, and the hard won lessons that come with being a part of this community, are perhaps the most important steps we can take in an effort both…

Janis Luna —

May 6, 2020

covid-19

sex work

politics + activism

Extra! Extra! The Pandemic Proves Sex Workers Deserve Decriminalization & Safety Nets

This week’s Extra! Extra! COVID-19 looks at the pandemic from a few angles: personal experiences of having the virus, how the pandemic is affecting sex workers and how corruption, profiteering…

himani —

May 4, 2020

In Another World

sex work

issues

What Would the Decriminalization of Sex Work Look Like?

As Vermont became the second state to introduce a bill to decriminalize sex work, the real possibility of decrim future is on our horizon. But how would decrim take shape…

Reese Piper —

Mar 3, 2020