Dec. 17th International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

---

On July 30 1998, I lost my friend and fellow performer, Robert Tiny Gibson. Robert was a drag queen who also turned an occasional trick in drag. He was stabbed 25 times after performing oral sex with a client, John Wilson. Mr. Wilson is serving 16 years to life for the murder of my beautiful friend Tiny. Mr. Wilson claims that he became enraged when he found out that Robert was really a man. Apparentrly Mr. Wilson feels that his mistakern identity somehow justified his senseless murder. Tiny was a wonderful, warm compassionate talented performer and he is still missed by all of us. God Bless the souls of these people who are taken savagely and selfishly.

candyekane
musician/ sex work activist

---

Thank you very much for this tribute. My sister Opal(victim #4) is still very much missed by her family.

Garrett Mills
Bellevue, WA

---

To minimize the importance of the lives of these women because of their chosen work is to condone violence in its most brutal forms. The loss of these lives is incalcuable, not just to those who loved or knew them, but to us all. I applaud SWOP's work and hope that everyone reading this site will feel, as I do, that a donation to SWOP is very worthwhile.

LadyRavenia
web Mistress

---

"I am deeply saddened by the murders of the Seattle area sex workers, and appalled that they continued for so long. It's important to show that we care, and to insist on safer working conditions for the vulnerable sex workers out there today. Please join us on Dec. 17, and participate however you can. Together we can help stop more of these horrible hate crimes."

Dr. Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D. - Prostitute turned sexologist.
(Drsprinkle@anniesprinkle.org)

---

"I mourn the loss the loss of these beautiful, valuable women. I hope that their deaths can help to save the lives of other women by calling our attention to the dangerous hypocrisy we nurture in our culture regarding the worth of women's lives. Prostitutes, sex workers, hustlers and escorts are human beings. If society asks them to live in secrecy and shame, if their work is criminalized, they will be looked upon as less than human and thus targeted for violence and hatred. The green river murders are the sad progeny of this truth. No one deserves this brutality."

Juliana Piccillo, filmmaker

---

"As founder of COYOTE/Seattle and a professional sex worker for more than 20 years, I observed the Green River Killer's unabated rampage starting in the early '80s. It was quite obvious even then that if Ridgway's victims had been cute college co-eds, like Bundy's victims, as opposed to marginalized and criminalized sex workers, local law enforcement would have exercised far more effort in bringing him to justice. It is even more inexcusable that they cut a deal to spare his life to simply save the county the expense of a trial that would exposed the deplorable lack of effort exerted during the decades that Ridgway murdered and terrorized sex workers. It is time for sex workers, our friends and families, to stand up and demand not only decriminalization of sex work but equal protection under the law."
Catherine La Croix,
Founder, COYOTE/Seattle
Professional dominatrix and
former courtesan and madam
catherine.la.croix@comcast.net

---

"Violence against prostitutes is violence against women. Women who are wives, mothers, sisters, daughters. Do we countenance attacks upon them, our wives, mothers, sisters, daughters? We do not. Profession should not overshadow person. The rights of women (and men) who choose to become professional sex workers, who engage in consensual, commercial concupiscence, who exercise self-determination over their own bodies, hearts and minds must be protected and respected."

-- Taliesin the Bard, author and part time porn personality
www.firsttribebooks.com & www.taliesinthebard.com

---

“It is unconscionable to think that Americans would continue to back laws that would allow murderers to violate prostitutes in this way. Sex workers should not continue to be treated as second-class citizens. Unequal protection under the law allows people to think and operate like the Green River killer. It is time for these laws to change,” Robyn Few, executive director of SWOP-USA.

---

"The murder of prostitutes is an outrage against ALL women, not just sex workers. And the attitudes that make it OK to harm, rape or murder a prostitute are the same attitudes that make it OK to harm, rape or murder ANY woman IF she steps out of line. It is time that women of ALL professions and persuasions work together to decriminalize prostitution. Only then will life be safer and saner for ALL women."

Veronica Monet
Former Prostitute
Current Sex Educator
Lifetime Whore

---

"This website, memorial and subsequent activities are a tremendously important step in demonstrating that sex workers are not second class citizens who somehow deserved to be harmed and killed by a sadist predator. The victims of the Green River Killer were preyed upon by a sadist because he knew they were vulnerable. That society tends to blame the women in prostitution, that criminalization denies resources which may have protected these women. Women who are someone's sister, mother, daughter, niece etc. What these women experienced was horrible and should never have happened. A crime of this nature should never have happened. I believe this memorial and subsequent events are a major step in ending violence against sex workers, in breaking the myths that create the dynamics which allowed a predator like Ridgway to operate. My deepest sympathy goes out to the victims of Gary Ridgway and their loved ones. As an activist, I can only hope to honor their memory by working to change society so that this never happens again. On the days that I wonder whether continuing as an activist is worthwhile, this memorial reminds me of how important the work of all activists are so that this sort of tragedy never happens again."

Jill Leighton, Executive Director, National Trainer
STORM, Project Prosper