On the 27th and 28th of July a conference called “Australian Summit Against Sexual Exploitation” (ASASE) is being held in Melbourne, Australia. Hosted by RMIT University it is billed as exposing the “seamless connection between sexual exploitation in the following areas: Pornography, Objectification in advertising, Sex Trafficking/Prostitution, Child Sexual Exploitation”.
The conference brings together speakers well known for whorephobic, transphobic, homophobic and Islamophobic views, as well as opponents of abortion rights, safe schools, marriage equality and surrogacy.
Speakers include:
Julie Bindel
Melinda Tankard Reist
Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins
Caitlin Roper
Simone Watson
Supporting organisations are listed as – Bravehearts, Centre for Human Dignity, Children of Phoenix, Collective Shout, Destiny Rescue, Pink Cross Foundation Australia, Rahab, Spinifex Press, Salvos Cupcake Team, The JAM Network and Women’s Forum Australia.
Why Protest?
Sex workers, sex worker’s representative organisations around the world, human rights organisations and allies all call for the full decriminalisation of sex work for sex workers’ rights, health and safety – anti sex work groups (such as those represented at this conference) continue to call for the criminalisation of our work and attempt to silence our voices.
This conference includes speakers that oppose the rights and safety of many marginalised people – all people deserve to have our human rights recognised – join us in raising our concerns about this event!
Join us in protesting!
**Thinking of joining the online campaign? Do you have an anonymous Twitter/Facebook/Email account? Please consider your safety/anonymity in your protest activities**
Take action online:
Use the hashtags #RightsNotRescue and #sexwork
RMIT is on both Twitter and FaceBook
Take action on Twitter by including the hashtags #RMIT and #RMITOpenDay Include the Twitter handle @RMIT to Tweet directly at RMIT
Take action on RMIT’s FaceBook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/RMITuniversity/
Write to RMIT:
You can write to RMIT to express concerns about the Conference to the University Vice-Chancellor, Martin Bean at:
Email –
& Email to as well
Promote the online protest!
Talk to other people you know that support the rights of marginalised people and encourage them to participate
Spread the word on social media – Twitter, Facebook, everywhere – let people know to join the online protest
Will there be action/protest happening in Melbourne during the conference?
YES, a coalition of sex workers and trans people have organised a protest for Saturday the 28th of July, details here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/285614115321860/
Also, keep an eye on Vixen Collective’s Twitter
Twitter: @VixenCollective And: @ASASEProtest on Twitter
Last night local Victorian sex workers protested a Victorian Greens event hosting candidates who are running for pre-selection in the electorate of Richmond.
Why would sex workers be motivated to do this?
Sex workers and sex worker organisations world-wide call for the full decriminalisation of our work, as do human rights and health organisations around the world.
Victorian Greens policy actually supports the “Decriminalisation of consensual adult sex work”, and Federal Greens policy indicates support for “An end to the criminalisation of consensual adult sex work”.
However, the Victorian Greens have repeatedly run a candidate in the seat of Richmond who opposes both the Victorian Greens and Federal Greens policy on sex work. Kathleen Maltzahn, founder of anti-sex work organisation Project Respect, has run as the Greens candidate in Richmond in the 2010 and 2014 Victorian State Elections and is again in the running to be selected as the candidate for the upcoming election in 2018.
So, sex workers are concerned that the Victorian Greens are – yet again – seeking to run a candidate that opposes the Greens own policy on sex work, a candidate who opposes what is recognised as the best practice model for sex industry regulation.
So why are the Greens doing this? Their own policy on the issue is clear and one would think that running a candidate who opposes that policy, who opposes the human rights of a marginalised community might be something the Greens would care about.
So, sex workers went to the event last night to ask this question. We stood outside the event asking people entering to speak to us about the issue and offering them flyers explaining our concerns. We even saw Kathleen Maltzahn when we first arrived (who given the long history of sex workers protesting her opposition to sex workers rights, recognised some of us from prior protests), we gave her a flyer and explained why we were there – so the Greens were aware of our presence and the reason for it almost immediately.
What was striking was the reaction of a small number of Greens members. On realising we were there the Greens kept the building locked and posted ‘sentries’ at each entrance. We overheard one of the people being put on ‘sentry’ duty being told by another Greens member to “watch them and make sure no one talks to them”. The Greens member who gave this instruction came out a few minutes later and accosted me, trying to snatch the flyers I was holding from my hand, grabbing my hand (with the flyers in it) and refusing to let go for an uncomfortable length of time (literally uncomfortable, squeezing my hand as hard as possible trying to get me to drop the flyers). The same Greens member later stood on a sex workers foot while attempting to prevent them from talking to people (although it seemed this may have been accidental).
Many people entering did take our flyers and many also stopped to talk to us about the issues. But why did the Victorian Greens permit behaviour so hostile towards protesters? After all we were there to ask them to select a candidate who supports their own policies – a pretty reasonable request.
Later in the evening, after the meeting had begun another group of sex workers attempted to enter the meeting to raise concerns, only to be physically assaulted by a different Greens member, who shoved one worker and threw another to the ground.
The Greens then called the police, who later showed up and rather ironically ended up taking a report from one of the assaulted workers about the Greens actions.
The Victorian Greens have previously called for people to “defend your right to protest” and opposed changes to the Summary Offences and Sentencing Amendment Bill that extended police powers against protesters in Victoria.
So why is a party whose own policies support sex workers human rights, who supports the right to protest, reacting so violently when people exercise that right? Why do the Victorian Greens object to sex workers pointing out that the Victorian Greens have in the past and may again, run a candidate who rejects part of their own policy platform?
It’s a good question and it is well beyond time for the Victorian Greens to have an answer.
On Friday the 1st of April, last week, Vixen Collective (Victoria’s peer only sex worker organisation) issued an invitation to sex workers and supporters to join in raising concerns over the “World’s Oldest Oppression” Conference. The conference, an event at which proponents of the criminalisation of sex work will be gathering, runs over the 9th and 10th of April (today and tomorrow).
Sex workers and supporters participating in the protest on social media since then, have been experiencing significant levels of abuse from anti sex work individuals. This has included being called “pimps”, being told that we are “happy hookers”, that we are “meat for buyers”, “fucktoys”, that we are “commodities to be bought, sold and used”, referred to as “female flesh”, “pieces of meat”, and told that sex workers are the “pimp lobby”.
Vixen Collective itself, a sex worker only collective, made up of current and former sex workers, has been referred to as a “pro sex trade group” and “sex trade apologists” by event speaker Simone Watson.
Those involved in the conference have made claims of being “silenced” by sex workers, a proposition that seems ludicrous when examined – that a few sex workers on twitter could silence people who are having a conference to show case their ideas – a conference at which many of the speakers are published authors/journalists, some academics, many with significant social capital and power.
In confirmation of this fact there has been extensive coverage in the media on the conference outlining the anti sex work position, without any balance or effort to give voice to sex workers concerns. Of the four “articles” carried in major periodicals, which could for the most piece also be characterized as opinion editorials, Vixen Collective has been contacted by none, nor has the national sex worker organisation Scarlet Alliance.
The headlines of the four pieces are as follows (they are deliberately not linked due to the offensive and triggering content):
‘Pro sex trade group Vixen Collective ramps up campaign’ (Simone Watson, Tasmanian Times, 5th April)
‘Van Badham’s freedom of speech for some? (Isla MacGregor, Tasmanian Times, 8th April)
‘I clutched the cash while he used me’: Former prostitutes on why they want the industry banned’ (Emma Reynolds, News.com, 8th April)
‘Sex Trade survivors deserve the chance to speak’ (Meagan Tyler, The Conversation, 8th April)
The first, is by Simone Watson, the current Director of pro-Swedish Model (sometimes referred to as the Nordic Model) group NorMAC, there is more information on the problems with this piece here.
The second, is by Isla MacGregor, close friend and writing partner of Simone Watson – this is an attack on feminist and Guardian columnist Van Badham for having the audacity to support sex worker rights.
The third, by Emma Reynolds, is what could kindly be referred to as an advertorial for the book ‘Prostitution Narratives’ that is being launched at the conference this weekend. Now, let me be clear – everyone has the right to tell their story. Being able to be heard when speaking about our lives is a critical part of what we are protesting for, but the fact that News.com ran a story without talking to anyone who wasn’t pro-criminalisation and didn’t contact a single peer sex worker organisation is a critical failure. This is a failure not just in recognising sex workers’ voices, but a failure in journalism.
The fourth, one is in The Conversation written by RMIT academic Meagan Tyler, colleague of Dr Caroline Norma, and also known for her work with organisation CATWA (an organisation that holds a pro-criminalisation of sex work view). Ms Tyler includes quotes from my blog (where the original protest was posted), including that sex workers and supporters should:
“write to RMIT to express concerns about the Conference to the University Chancellor”
But then goes on to suggest that this amounts to:
“.. online tactics used to bully, intimidate and deny people a platform to speak..”
This is purposefully omitting the fact that at no time was there a call by Vixen Collective for the conference to be shut down, simply that we wished for sex workers concerns to be heard.
So what’s the up-side in a week of sex workers being called “pieces of meat” and shut out of the mainstream media?
Well, late yesterday RMIT Catalyst – the student newspaper at RMIT published an article where they spoke to both the conference organisers and Vixen Collective. It was a moment of, for sex workers, what hopefully will be increasingly common in the future of journalism – being heard.
What traction sex workers do have in being listened to on their own lives and work in the media, shouldn’t be exceptional, it should be the standard. It should not be an enduring battle to gain space to publish op ed’s of our own – but it is and so we express our thoughts and stories on blogs and twitter. We’re not silencing anyone because these are so often the only places we have in which to speak.
RMIT Slammed for Facilitating Sex Work Abolition Conference
We can only hope to see more balanced journalism in the main-stream press in the future. Given that the above was from student journalists maybe it’s a good sign that we will.
Carrying on the tradition of making our voices heard in the spaces that are available to us, we are having a protest onsite at RMIT today, please see details below:
——————–
Protesting the “World’s Oldest Oppression” Conference – Protest Notice
*Sex Workers & Supporters*
Time: 1pm until 3pm, Saturday 9th April 2016
Location: Outside the Emily McPherson Building (Building 13, 405 Russell St, Melbourne, on the Victoria St side of the building)
**Please be aware of and prioritise your safety, anti sex work individuals/groups have been known to approach & take photographs of people at protests, so if this is problematic or distressing for you then consider if it is safe for you to be in the protest space**
Please Note – we are planning and advocating for a non-violent, non-intrusive protest.
Vixen Collective does not advocate for anyone to enter the conference space or approach conference attendees.
On social media anti sex work individuals have raised concerns about silencing, which, given that the conference contains speakers who are published authors/academics etc. is wildly out of place and unrealistic compared to sex workers raising concerns on twitter.
However, just as sex workers do not wish to be silenced, we do not wish to be perceived as silencing anyone and therefore we ask people participating in the protest to try not to become involved in verbal altercations.
We will have Vixen Collective support people there and please take the opportunity to step back and de-brief.
We have permission to be present on RMIT property and RMIT security is aware that we are having a protest and can be called on if necessary.
If the space becomes hostile due to the presence or actions of anti sex work individuals or groups we plan to exit the space and de-brief off site.
Individual sex workers and sex worker allies have joined Vixen Collective in protesting online – primarily on Twitter – RMIT University’s choice play host to a conference that brings together a range of anti sex work figures, outspoken in their support of either the Swedish Model of sex work criminalisation (sometimes called the Nordic Model) or of outright abolition of sex work.
It’s always interesting to see what reaction there will be online to a protest by sex workers. Interesting, but often predictable.
Anti sex work groups have a tendency to claim that they themselves are being “silenced” when sex workers speak out for our human rights.
Since the protest started, a member of local pro-Swedish Model organisation NorMAC, Simone Watson, who once likened sex workers to “meat” has published an opinion piece in the Tasmanian Times where Vixen Collective, an unfunded peer sex worker organisation is referred to as a “pro sex trade group”.
Simone Watson, also in the Tasmanian Times, makes the claim that I personally have “launched an online campaign to discredit the voices of prostitution Survivors”. Given that I have done no such thing, as is demonstrable from reading the actual post – I would suggest that Ms Watson retract her defamatory statement.
In comments on Twitter by anti sex work folk, I noticed just this morning, the standard refrain that their side is being “silenced” by sex workers.
Of the listed speakers for the conference – Julie Bindel, Rachel Moran, Dr Caroline Norma and Melinda Tankard Reist – all are published authors, at least one has tenure at a University, and all make regular appearances as public speakers on the subject of the criminalisation of sex work – of which it is to be expected, that some appearances are paid.
These are not people who are silent. These are not people who are lacking in a platform. To suggest that an online protest by individual sex workers, an unfunded peer sex worker organisation, and sex worker allies – is in any way “silencing” people with this degree of power, social capital, and continuing access to a variety of platforms is absurd.
But it is a useful tool in continuing to silence sex workers, which really is the point of the exercise isn’t it, when your end goal is abolishing sex work?
——————–
Want to join the protest?
Take action online:
RMIT is on both Twitter and FaceBook
Take action on Twitter using the hashtags #RMIT2016 and #sexwork
Include the Twitter handle @RMIT to Tweet directly at RMIT
Take action on RMIT’s FaceBook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/RMITuniversity/
On the 9th and 10th of April 2016 an anti sex work conference called the “World’s Oldest Oppression” is being held in Melbourne, Australia. Hosted by RMIT University, and billed as a “2 Day Anti Sex Trade Conference” for a “World Free of Sex Trade Abuse”.
The conference brings together anti sex work figures such as Julie Bindel, Rachel Moran, Dr Caroline Norma, Melinda Tankard Reist and others.
Despite the fact that sex workers, sex worker’s representative organisations around the world, human rights organisations and allies all call for the full decriminalisation of sex work for sex workers’ health and safety – anti sex work groups (such as those represented at this conference) continue to call for the criminalisation of our work, and attempt to silence our voices.
Join sex workers in protesting!
**Thinking of joining the online campaign? Do you have an anonymous Twitter/Facebook/Email account? Please consider your safety/anonymity in your protest activities**
Write to RMIT:
You can write to RMIT to express concerns about the Conference to the University Chancellor, Ziggy Switkowski at:
Email –
& Email to as well
Take action online:
RMIT is on both Twitter and FaceBook
Take action on Twitter using the hashtags #RMIT2016 and #sexwork
Include the Twitter handle @RMIT to Tweet directly at RMIT
Take action on RMIT’s FaceBook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/RMITuniversity/
Promote the online protest!
Talk to other people you know that support sex worker rights and encourage them to participate
Spread the word on social media – Twitter, Facebook, everywhere – let people know to join the online protest
Post the ‘Join In Online Protest’ flyer in your workplace
Will there be action/protest happening in Melbourne during the conference?
This is yet to be decided – watch the social media spaces of Vixen Collective to be kept up to date:
My name is Jane Green and I am a current sex worker.
I am speaking today, as a sex worker and also on behalf of Scarlet Alliance[1], Australian Sex Workers Association and also Vixen Collective[2], Victoria’s peer only sex worker organisation.
I do not speak for all sex workers, because no one can.
I speak from my own personal experience of sex work.
This has been a difficult speech for me to write, not because there is a lack of things to say – but because there is so much.
Much like the Dickens quote, I often feel like it is both the “best of times” and the “worst of times”.
The “best of times” because as sex workers we are constantly fighting for our rights, often achieving so much, and yet it is still the “worst of times” because conservatives and anti-sex work feminists are arrayed against us trying to erase our successes and criminalise our work and lives.
To us, to sex workers, this fight is eternally visible – it is the fabric of our lives and work. But to those that are not part of our community it is often hidden and I believe this is what makes it easier for people to turn away from our struggles, rather than joining us as allies.
Sex worker organisations across Australia and across the world work ceaselessly for the full decriminalisation of sex work – this is supported by the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, Human Rights Watch, Australia’s National HIV Strategies, Scarlet Alliance, Vixen Collective, sex worker organisations nationally and globally – and most recently Amnesty International. Yet we are still working, we are still fighting.
I would like to take you on a tour of what that work is like for me as a sex worker and survivor of rape, over just the last two months.
Vixen Collective, of which I am a member, recently filed a submission with the Royal Commission Into Family Violence (Victoria)[3] . Sex worker organisations across Australia work tirelessly on violence against sex workers, and laws such as the licencing system in Victoria make it much harder for sex workers to report violence to police, or to seek justice through the courts.
Imagine my depressing lack of surprise when submissions to the Royal Commission began to be published and I realised anti-sex work group Project Respect had claimed in their submission that they were the:
“..leading agency addressing violence against women in the sex industry“[4]
This strangely omits in Victoria – Vixen Collective, RhED[5] and Melbourne Sexual Health[6] -but also every other sex worker organisation in Australia.
Project Respect, commonly referred to as Project (dis)Respect by sex workers, also states that:
“..failing to address family and other male violence against women in the sex industry makes other women vulnerable to men’s violence..[7]”
This is a shocking form of victim blaming – essentially blaming sex workers for violence against ALL women – rather than focusing on perpetrators of violence and the systemic causes of that violence.
Most important is the fact that Project Respect is NOT a sex worker organisation but rather an organisation that seeks to criminalise our work, via the Swedish Model[8] of sex work regulation, which would place sex workers at greater risk of violence.
Project Respect also publicly state that they are working towards the abolition of ALL sex work[9].
But this is common. Anti-sex work groups attempts to silence sex workers in Australia abound.
Vixen Collective held the Festival of Sex Work[10] in August of this year. There were sex worker only peer education workshops. Public events to demystify sex work. Social events for sex workers, a film night, lunches, and much more.
As part of the closing of the Festival a protest was held in Swanson Street and photos (of sex workers that were comfortable having their photo taken) were posted on social media.
We were almost immediately attacked by a member of an anti sex work group on Twitter – claiming that there were no “women of colour..but plenty of white men”.
Now I have nothing specific against white men (many of them give me money), but I only remember five or so “white men” out of about nine-five protesters, and the lead speaker was Rory – an aboriginal street based sex worker.
So either the person attacking us on Twitter was at a different protest or they just made that up to be a troll. Which is actually a common thing – harassing sex workers online.
Second only to harassing sex workers in person.
Since I’ve been involved in sex worker activism I have had my photo taken by radical feminists, been called a “cult leader” on the internet, had “pimp lobby”[11] shouted at me while speaking at an Amnesty International meeting and been called privileged so many times that as a ex-street based sex worker, rape survivor, someone who has experienced homelessness throughout my life, and member of a marginalised community subject to stigma and discrimination – that I’m frankly a little over it.
But I’m also over it because when it comes to the laws that affect sex workers lives and work – the voices of ALL current sex workers are critical. Because regardless of what anyone else says we’re the ones who have to go back to work tomorrow and live with the consequences. It is our lived experience that counts and it is our lives that will be affected.
Crowd at Slut Walk Melbourne, Sept 5th 2015
Finally I want to tell you about what I experienced when speaking in Western Australia, at a forum on sex industry regulation[12], opposite Peter Abetz (a Liberal politician) and Simone Watson (current Director of NorMAC, an anti-sex work group).
Much of the rhetoric of both of the opposing speakers centered around silencing sex workers. Anti-sex work groups often like to claim that either sex workers are so downtrodden we can’t speak for ourselves (and must be rescued) or if we do speak for ourselves then it’s a sign we’re privileged (so we shouldn’t be listened to).
This is a tactic used by anti-sex work groups, designed to silence anyone who does not agree with them. But what is really telling if you listen to anti-sex work groups, is the language they use to describe sex workers:
They call us “product” not people
They say sex workers “sell their bodies”, but my body is still here, I sell a service
But most tellingly – just one day after the Amnesty International decision to endorse decriminalisation of sex work – Simone Watson, Director of NorMAC, said the following:
“…at McDonalds you’re flipping the burgers, in prostitution you’re the meat…”
Let me be quite clear.
Those that seek to deny sex workers human rights – are essentially denying sex workers are human.
Those that outright call sex workers “meat” – aren’t even trying to hide it.
So I go back to what I said at the start.
To us, to sex workers, this fight is eternally visible – it is the fabric of our lives and work.
To you, I hope it is now more visible – make a choice, make a difference – join us as allies.
(If you’re not sure what you can do, ask us how)
_________________________________
Want more information on joining sex workers in fighting for the full decriminalisation of sex work in Victoria?
Join Vixen Collective on Twitter here: @VixenCollective
Or visit Vixen Collective’s website – vixencollective.blogspot.com.au
Want to support sex worker rights at a national level in Australia?
Join Scarlet Alliance on Twitter here: @scarletalliance
Or visit Scarlet Alliance’s website – scarletalliance.org.au
You can follow me directly on Twitter at: @sexliesducttape
To find the details of other state and territory sex worker organisations – click here
_________________________________
References
[1] Scarlet Alliance (Australian Sex Workers Association), http://scarletalliance.org.au/
[2] Vixen Collective (Victoria’s peer only sex worker organisation), http://vixencollective.blogspot.com.au/
[3] Royal Commission Into Family Violence (Victoria), http://www.rcfv.com.au/
[4] “Project Respect is the leading agency addressing violence against women in the sex industry“, Project Respect Submission into the Royal Commission on Family Violence, pg2
[5] Resourcing Health and Education (RhED), http://sexworker.org.au/
[6] Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, http://www.mshc.org.au/
[7] Project Respect Submission into the Royal Commission on Family Violence, pg2
Monica Jones, African American trans woman, activist and student, has been held in Villawood immigration detention centre in Australia since Friday the 28th of November with no access to visitation rights.
Monica has been a vocal advocate for the rights of people of colour, trans* people and sex workers, including in Phoenix where she has protested the targeting and profiling of vulnerable communities by Project Rose. It was the night after one of these protests that Monica was arrested by police and prosecuted, leading to the ‘We stand with Monica Jones‘ campaign.
In the US, people of colour and trans women are disproportionately affected by HIV. Monica had hoped to learn from the successes of Australia’s response to HIV, in particular those by peer led sex worker organisations and community led responses, internationally recognised as a success.
Monica’s advocacy work will be significantly facilitated by the completion of her student placement, where she plans to work as a social worker for her community after graduation.
Monica is being restricted entry to Australia in order to complete the 3 weeks remaining on her student placement after which she has a return ticket home to the U.S.A. Monica is in her 4th and final year of her social work degree. Without completion of her final 3 weeks of her student placement, Monica will fail this semester.
Monica wishes to highlight the stigma and discrimination experienced by sex workers, trans women and people of colour that may have led to her profiling at the border and subsequent detention. On World AIDS Day it is important to recognise that it is stigma and discrimination that fuels the HIV epidemic.
Sex workers, trans* people and allies are protesting on Monday at 2pm at:
– Federal Law Courts in Sydney ** moved to John Madison Building in CBD at last minute ** where Monica’s case will be heard
– Immigration & Citizenship Service in Melbourne
Community members, activists and allies stand in solidarity with Monica to show the Australian Government that together we will not stand for racism, transphobia or whorephobia.
______________________________
**** Update on Court Proceedings and Media Coverage, late on Monday Dec 1st 2014 ****
Even after a last minute change in venue for the court proceedings in Sydney, more than 50 supporters came to #standwithMonica – causing the court to have to relocate to a larger room and find more chairs to accommodate everyone.
Supporters reported that Monica was misgendered by the state representative on more than one occasion. It became apparent that Australian border authorities were waiting for Monica on re-entry and that a film crew from the Channel 7 television show ‘Border Security‘ were present, having been tipped off in advance.
It was stated in court that Monica was on the list of those considered a “possible threat to Australia”, but without reference or explanation as to why the Australian government consider this to be the case.
When it became apparent that Monica faced a minimum of another week and a half in immigration detention – even if successful in her case – Monica made the decision to return to the U.S.A. and to fight the case from there via video link.
For more information, refer to Australian media coverage:
Interview on The Wire with Jules Kim, Monica’s field supervisor in her placement with Scarlet Alliance:
Lateline – Monia Jones Fights Deportation
______________________________
Want to show solidarity?
On Twitter – use the hashtag #standwithMonica
Sydney Protest
(thanks to Elena Jeffreys for co-authoring this post)
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