6. Sex + Work = Sex Work

So Skewed

On to sex worker views! Sex worker inputs to feminism feel more radical than mainstream feminism that continues to be a bit weird around sex. The anti-prostitution camp’s ‘concerns’ around sex work continues to be the ‘sex’ (so let’s talk about it) when it should be the ‘work’ (so let’s talk about it). What is it about women and sex that bothers the anti-prostitution movement so much that they refuse to acknowledge sex for a woman can be work? Why is sex work, indeed, work? What is sex work really? Why is it so difficult to end prostitution despite criminalization.

This episode 6 summarizes sex worker views around the anti-trafficking/anti-prostitution movement.

Warning: strong language, sexual content, other adult themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Credits:
Host: Surabhi Chatterjee
Audio production: Pruthu Parab
Cover Art design: Rini Alphonsa Joseph

Music: The intro music is Wake up, Max by Axel Lundström. Music is from YouTube audio library and includes: Silver Waves – TrackTribe; Renunciation, Unrequited - Asher Fulero; Skatting on the Uppers, A truly dazzling dream – National Sweetheart; The Rainy Road, Entangled Life, Cosmic, Today remains sweet, Smoke - Lish Grooves; Gran Sentimiento, Luz Solart, Espeluznante - Luna Cantina; Pelagic, Torsion – Density & Time; Stellar Wind - Unicorn Heads; Building Blocks, Growing Up, Quiet Nights - Nate Blaze; Jeremy Black - Broken Ladder; Good gig in the clouds – Joel Cummins.

Sources:
Juno Mac and Molly Smith (2018). “Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers’ Rights”

Melisa Gira Grant (2014). “Playing the Whore”

Amia Srinivasan (2020). “The Right to Sex”

DMSC (1997). Sex Workers’ Manifesto
Contrapoints. “Twilight”.

Interview. “The Whore Stigma with Margo St. James and Gail Pheterson”. Youtube Video
Gail Pheterson. “At long last, listen to the women”

Jo Doezema (1999). “Loose Women or Lost Women: The Re-emergence of the Myth of White Slavery in Contemporary Discourses of Trafficking in Women”

Scroll. “Centre bans 18 OTT platforms, 19 websites for obscene content”

The Quint. "India Porn Ban: Govt bans 67 more websites. Here’s the full list"

Essays from ‘Prostitution and Beyond: An Analysis of Sex work in India’ by Rohini Sahni, V.Kalyan Shankar, Hemant Apte (Eds.), Sage Publications (2008)

Follow on IG and X: so skewed
Business enquires/anything else: [e-mail]