Sex workers fight stigma with pride celebration

Dancers did performances and read poetry at a sex work pride event

Sex workers have come together to counter the stigma and shame they say they face.

The organisation Sexquisite and the Bristol Sex Worker Collective hosted a sex worker "pride" event in Bristol on Saturday.

Maedb Joy, of the organisation, said sex workers were a "marginalised group", with their children "often" taken into care, housing denied, financial discrimination by banks, stigma and shame. "In a world where that still exists we need a sex worker pride."

Jess, a sex worker, said: "I struggle to have friends and I experience really harsh bullying for being a sex worker. Sexquisite is like a massive escape, it feels like I have more meaning to life when I have these events."

Sexquisite said the pride event was a space for sex workers to be unashamed and celebrated.

The event featured burlesque shows, spoken word performances, pole dancing and an exhibition showcasing art created by sex workers.

Jess says the event "means the world" to her and that it gives a "vital platform" to sex workers.

"I've been nearly beat up before because this is what I do. I can't get a normal job because of my digital foot print," Jess said.

"I wish it was viewed as an actual, proper job. I wish it was more normalised and decriminalised for our safety. We face a lot of hostility."

April Fiasco did a performance art piece about her life as a working class woman at the event.

She said: "As someone who's worked in the sex industry on and off for a long time, there's always people who are disgusted by what we do.

"We need to have a space where we can celebrate what we do."

The event gave a platform to sex workers who could share their experiences

Ms Joy said there were other pride events for marginalised communities and she felt sex workers should be part of that.

"Our children are often taken into care," she explained. "We're denied housing, we experience financial discrimination by banks and we experience isolation through stigma and shame."

Ms Joy said the event was a space for people to be "unashamed and be with people that celebrate us".

Jessica Risque, another member of the Sexquisite team and of the Bristol Sex Workers Collective, said it was "really important" to celebrate sex workers and show them as "normal people".

"We're making sure we're not being erased," she added. "It's more about saying, 'if you don't agree with it that's fine but we still deserve safety and a voice'."

She added Bristol was "finally coming around a little bit more, it's been a long slog".

She said sex workers wanted the wider general public to "see what we are doing and not just have a tainted view of our work".