A Tangled Mess: Working to Strip Away the Issues Facing Sex Workers

 

Different people encounter and respond to sex workers in different ways, each one problematic in its own way. 

Seeing skimpily-clad women on the streets of big cities elicits mixed reactions from those passing by, walking quickly, and pretending not to see. Some of us may be curious, others disgusted. Kinder hearts wish to help while less sympathetic souls feel that it is on the backs of prostitutes to improve their own situations. There have been countless debates and discussions about the issues facing prostitutes, including whether "prostitute" is the most appropriate term to use. Although I myself come from a privileged space of never having personally encountered sex work, I believe that there are things that each person can do to progress the movement trying to combat the systems that create spaces in which women move into sex work. These systems are deeply ingrained in global societies, which creates a complex and terribly tangled mess of problems facing this issue. However, allowing this fact to deter action would be to actively participate in the mess. I propose that small things we each do can being to create better systems for those in need everywhere.

A small glimpse into the issues that are at play in the mess of this issue. 

One of the most critical elements of social movements is dialogue. Within the movement to improve the situations of sex workers, there are two elements of dialogue that anyone who cares to can work towards improving. The two most detrimental issues facing the dialogue of this issue are that barely any exists, and what does exist rarely includes the voices of the sex workers themselves.

The first thing that must be done with any issue before any progress can be made is to talk about the issue itself. The barriers to progress, the facets of the problem, and possible plans of action need to be established and agreed upon by those affected and those in positions of change. A huge barrier this movement faces is the stigma surrounding even any discussion of sex work. The reasons this topic makes so many of us so uncomfortable are worth considering and would reveal the core issues at work, and dismantling these would facilitate a more open discussion. We all need to move past these personal blocks and participate in the national and international conversation about sex work. This conversation needs to be on all levels; between general community members, students, colleagues, neighbors, and between academics. The existing body of literature is lacking on both quantity and quality.

Within the existing body of literature, there are common threads. As Vanwesenbeeck concludes after a review of a decade's worth of sex work research; 

"The wrongs associated with sex work are all too often attributed to the nature of sex work itself instead of to the stigma attached to it or to specific negative circumstances. Likewise, the association between prostitution and negative features (in particular HIV and early victimization) is overwhelming, despite evidence that, for large groups of sex workers, these issues are of limited relevance. Generally, writers fail to adequately differentiate among types of sex workers."

As he notes later in his analysis, Vanwesenbeeck acknowledges the issues of early sex work research; how the women were assumed to be "evil characters" with "sick personalities" (243). He also describes the body of literature in this field as creating a discourse that is "moralizing, categorizing, unifying, and stigmatizing" (247). It is clear that the body of literature needs to be increased and, more importantly, filled with dialogue that fights stigma, recognizes the intersectionality of the systems of oppression these workers face, and works within the true needs of global sex workers (an example of such an intersectional study can be found here). 

Not only do the narratives of sex workers themselves need to be included in the ongoing discussion of this issue, but in order to truly change the factors that have created such a tangled mess, these people must join the governing bodies and participate in policy making in order to change the stigma and criminalization they face. However, it cannot go unsaid that this would be extremely difficult to accomplish for the majority of sex workers, who face poverty, oppression, and stigma.

Many people fight against the idea that sex workers are a population deserving of attention or aid. A common viewpoint by some communities is that discussing sex and sex work will make it seem that sex work is an acceptable way to live your life, an idea that these communities object strongly to. Additionally, many people cannot think outside of the stigma of sex work, holding in their mind an image of the morally abhorrent and deviant whores, riddled with disease and addicted to heroin. This reveals the extent of the internalization of the stigma and discrimination against sex workers as well as the true need for the incorporation of authentic sex worker narratives into the public forum.

The more digging is done into the stigma, discrimination, and marginalization faced by sex workers, the more complex and tangled the situation becomes, and the more daunting of a challenge it seems. HIV- positive sex workers in Ontario describe relationships between social identities and inequities such as stigma, sexism, racism, and homo/transphobia that overlap and connect with each other. These systems cannot be overturned rapidly; we must each work continuously to make lasting change. Improving the situation for sex workers will depend on sustained, respectful dialogue, reduced stigma, and increased self-advocacy and involvement of sex workers in policy making. By creating a coordinated and inclusive movement, we can all stand in solidarity and work to end the oppression of sex workers. 

Sex workers and allies can work together to make profound and positive change.