How I got into writing about sex work (video interview)

Welcome to Sex and the State, a newsletter about power. I’m a writer working on decriminalizing and destigmatizing all things sex. I synthesize empirical evidence, stories, and personal experience to interrogate existing power structures to propose new, hopefully better, ways of relating. To support my work, buy a subscription, follow me on OnlyFans, or just share this post!

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Really enjoyed telling a very short version of my story of how I got into focusing on sex work here (YouTube video).

This interview was in preparation for my upcoming talk: Ladies is Pimps Too | Comparing Sex Work Regulation Models

“Sex-positive feminism must include considerations for the health, safety, and well-being of people in the sex trades. Do sex workers thrive most under decriminalization, legalization, or the Nordic model/End Demand? This workshop will present the latest research on this question.”

Join us Jan. 22-23rd for what should be a very informative conference. I’ve got three 50% off passes to give away. Since this newsletter is where I’m doing the work that’s most important to me, I most appreciate you following my work here. And so I wanted to reserve them for you.

Email or comment below to claim one. There are also discounts for anyone who can’t afford the full ticket price.

I really appreciate that Professor Playtime and Professor Pervert pro-actively sought out at least one sex worker to include in this conference. It’s mostly a how-to conference. I think mine may be the only talk that’s explicitly political.

Most of the time, (unfortunately and counterintuitively) there’s a divide between sex-positive spaces and sex workers and between how-to sex content and political sex content. I find many sex-positive spaces actually exclude sex workers either intentionally or unintentionally.

The problem with censorship, stigma, and marginalization is that they’re definitionally self-reinforcing. If you don’t work to get out of your bubble and elevate the censored, stigmatized, criminalized, and marginalized they will remain outside your view. And if you’re a leader, they’ll stay outside the view of most of your audience.

I’m not saying every discussion of sex should begin with the whore equivalent of a land acknowledgement (does anyone outside California know what those are?). But I do think discussions of sex and sex advice should be grounded in sex-positive feminism. Let’s not just talk about how to have great sex, but also acknowledge what keeps us from the sex we could be having. Let’s make sure everything we do around sex and sexuality reinforces the idea that sex is inherently morally neutral.

I appreciate that these organizers have been proactive in including sex workers. And I would like to call teachers, therapists, coaches, influencers, and organizers to elevate the voices of those who are most censored, stigmatized, criminalized, and marginalized. I think this is the right thing to do in any arena. But in the case of sex and sexuality, let’s try to center those most hurt by sex-negativity.

Anyway, I hope you’re able to attend the conference and that you enjoy it.