Politically active prostitutes searching for a collective voice

[Quetzal]

Long Silent, Oldest Profession Gets Vocal and Organized

Shelby Aesthetic, a landscaper and writer in Huntsville, Ala., said she worked as a prostitute throughout her teenage years but never knew of a "sex workers movement" until last year, when she caught a performance of a touring art show where prostitutes performed and read short stories and poetry.

"I had done sex work for years and I had never talked to anyone about it," Ms. Aesthetic, 25, said. "I didn't know there was anything out there."

As often happens, a cultural interest opened doors to a social movement, this one involving "sex workers" and their supporters. In a new wave of activism, many prostitutes are organizing, staging public events and coming out publicly to demand greater acceptance and protection, giving a louder voice to a business that has thrived in silence.

more...

www.nytimes.com/2004/12/18/national/18prostitutes.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=

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[livinginphotographs]

1. Eh, good for them.

I think it is degrading, and I would hope that women would avoid that profession, but making it illegal doesn't stop it, just makes it more dangerous.

And what's the rationale of having legal brothels in Nevada, but it's illegal everywhere else? I didn't know that so-called "moral values" were state-specific.

[Moderator]

2. not Late Breaking News

story is dated Dec 18. Over the 12-hour limit.

Locking