people
The Sex Workers Outreach Project -Robyn Few
PRESS RELEASE
Dylan Wolfe - Sex Workers Action New York (SWANK), swank [at] riseup [dot] net
Michael Bottoms - Sex Workers Outreach Project - New York City (SWOP-NYC),
swop.nyc [at] gmail [dot] com
Susan Blake - Prostitutes of New York (PONY), pony [at] panix [dot] com
Desiree Alliance, info [at] DesireeAlliance [dot] org
The Pink Scare: Of Ms. Palfrey and Sex Panic
New York, NY - The activists at Sex Workers Action New York (SWANK), Sex
Workers Outreach Project New York (SWOP-NYC), Prostitutes of New York
(PONY) and the nationally-based Desiree Alliance are saddened that Deborah
Jeane Palfrey, also known as the D.C. Madam, passed away on May 1st in an
apparent suicide. We - prostitutes, strippers, pro-dommes, porn stars, sex
experts, and allies - extend our sympathies to all of those hurt by this
most recent chapter of the "Pink Scare," in which oppressive legislation
and social stigma partner to generate hysteria around what, for us, can
prove to be simply a decent way to make a living.
The circumstances surrounding Ms. Palfrey's death suggest that Americans
reconsider the current state and federal policies that govern sex worki, as
Dear SWOP Friends,
Gus Schleis has quite an activist resume already. This is not surprising since Avaren Ipsen is his mother. Gus has testified before the Nuclear Regulatory Committee on behalf of kids afraid of a radioactive environment, protested against the Iraq war and dressed as a killer tomato in protest of genetically modified foods.
Shelby Aesthetic is an artist/writer/film documenter. Shelby has done underground sex work at various times in her life as means of survival, and is currently a sex worker activist. She moved to Alabama in 1998 and is currently doing outreach for sex workers, documenting their lives, and writing for her own underground punk zine. Shelby is a
Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock is co-author of the critically-acclaimed Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us (Beacon Press, 2001), is a Visiting Scholar. Author of Journeys By Heart: A Christology of Erotic Power. Co-authored Casting Stones: Prostitution and Liberation in Asia and the United States which won the 1996 Catholic
Salina Brilla is originally from Chicago. This artist/student/writer/photographer came to Alabama 2 years ago. She has worked as a food server on the graveyard shift all over Chicago and encountered all kinds of people including sex workers of different types. She realized after moving to Alabama that things are the same all over. All
Ginger Virago, Chicago Illinois native, strict catholic upbringing, eldest of six and all-around funny girl, left home 11 days shy of her 18th birthday to see the world and 'find herself'. In the process of this search she tried her hand in the sex-bizz and has relied on it ever since. Her stay in Northern California has earned her a degree in theater arts(CSU Sacramento), and numerous
Lois Rowan has a long history of fighting for the rights of working people. Her background is in the labor union movement and organizing to prevent violations of civil rights. This is why when the opportunity to propose an initiative in Berkeley to stop arresting prostitutes and help them instead came along, she jumped at the chance. "Let's not forget that prostitutes are workers."
Starchild (aka Chris Fox) is an independent bisexual sex worker who variously uses the titles and practices the arts of sacred intimate, courtesan, escort, masseur, exotic dancer, and adult video performer. Asked if that means he's a pornstar, he modestly says more of a starlet.
