Hello Wonderful Fans of the Infirmary-

Yes on Prop K, Sadie Lune, Artist and Sex Worker wins 1st place at

the Museum of Modern Art!

Sadie Lune presents this performance piece "I WANT YOU," which won

1st place at the Museum of Modern Art on September 11, 2008.

San Francisco artist, Tony Labat invited San Franciscans to

participate in this live art event based on the iconic "I Want You"

poster. Labat offered one minute at the museum to "seize the voice

of authority, to make demands of the public, and to be the

finger-pointing Uncle Sam."

Contest winners will be plastered over the city in on posters during

election week.

Sadie says, I Want You to Vote Yes on Prop K, the San Francisco

ballot initiative for the decriminalization of sex workers in San

Dear Allies, friends, SWOP-ees around the world,

We are so proud to announce that we SUCCEEDED in our efforts to secure the endorsement of the Democratic Party! Due to our hard work and lobbying (which was truly a culmination of many years of sex workers working directly with city politicians and politicos) the Democratic party endorsed us! Am I dreaming?

We were very fortunate to have remarkable allies such as Greg Shaw, former president of the Harvey Milk Club, who initiated, explained and helped coordinate the strategy, as well as Slava Osowska, a queer activist and member of Industrial Workers of The World, who did much of the physical work of actually getting the 12,745 signatures needed. Slava has helped write the materials and works tirelessly.

About 40 (or maybe more?) sex workers and supporters showed up and most testified, the majority identifying as sex workers. Long time allies from the HIV prevention/harm reduction movements and from the medical marijuana movement were instrumental in their support.

The Prostitution law review committee of the Ministry of Justice in NZ has recently released their 5 year review of the decriminalization of prostitution (.PDF HERE). They have some interesting findings, after what is now 5 years of legal prostitutionⁱ:
Some quotes from the Associate Justice Minister Lianne Dalziel:

“The report indicates that the numbers have remained more or less the same since the Act came into force and that most sex workers are better off under the PRA than they were previously, which was the intention of the Act.

May 19, 2008

Michael O. Leavitt

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Global Health Affairs

Room 639H

200 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20201

Subject: Comments on Office of Global Health Affairs; Regulation on the Organizational Integrity of Entities Implementing Leadership Act Programs and Activities, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 73 Fed. Reg. 20,900, April 17, 2008

Dear Secretary Leavitt,