Sex Worker Background
I’ve been a sex workers for almost ten years, working as a dominatrix, escort, masseuse, madam, and a porn filmmaker. My blog is www.sexpros.net and talks about my work in the industry as well as my activism with SWOP Chicago.

What kind of sex work are you currently doing?
I still do escort and massage, as well as some fetish work. I also shoot porn and crew on adult movies from time to time.

Are you active in sex worker activism? If so, what are you doing?
Yes! I am a member of Sex Workers Outreach Project-Chicago and am helping plan for the Desiree Alliance Conference in July of 2008 in Chicago.

What do you think is the best way to promote solidarity with fellow sex workers?
We need to reach out to one another, rather than being so isolated, and realize that we are not in competition with one another. There are a lot of working girls that would not consider themselves to be “political”, so we need to find a way to reach out to them and let them know that they should demand respect and better working conditions. We need to look at sex worker rights as a human rights issue and educate other sex workers are what their rights are, on and off the job.

I’ve found that it’s really tough to create solidarity in the sex work community because so many workers are afraid of being exposed and don’t want to admit to being a sex worker in a public forum (but are willing to post pictures of themselves online, so go figure). So I think we need to find a way to make sex work more acceptable and not something to be ashamed about. Maybe then will more workers be willing to form a bond and create a solidified community willing to work for change.

What project(s) are you working on now?
My blog-www.sexpros.net
Organizing the 2008 Desiree Alliance conference with SWOP. Creating a porn film fest for Chicago sometime in summer ‘08.
Shooting porn for my friends Morgana and David at www.morganamoon.com

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Libertine touches on two key points-isolation and competition. It often seems that isolation is just a part of sex work. Many of us work one on one with a client and don’t have a “break room” where we can hang out together. I see sex workers reaching out to each other as a form of activism. By befriending fellow workers we find common ground, fight burn out, educate and protect each other.

And by reaching out we break down the competition wall that often separates us. There is often a competitive vibe amongst sex workers. I’ve had it happen to me. A fellow PSO become upset that one of her regulars was calling me. She talked trash about me and forbade him to call me again. What did he do? Called me and in a gossipy tone relayed every nasty thing she said. At first I didn’t want to believe him. She was a fellow sex worker?! But I started hearing similar stories from other clients that we shared. Then some other PSOs shared that this particular woman had been forbidding clients to call me.

I chose not to confront her because I figured she’d deny it. Instead I invited the clients to call her and to have a good time. Instead of bashing back I spoke of her good qualities and talked about the certain fetishes she handled well. Did I lose clients? Quite the opposite. They seemed to call me more because I had the confidence to not bash her back. Somehow I must be an amazing PSO if I knew they’d call back. In reality I was shaken up that a sex worker sister had bad mouthed me. This was in my early years and I was scared to get in a fight with a fellow worker.

But it proved to be a valuable lesson. Fighting over clients doesn’t pay. It only isolates us. My friend Sera and I shared clients when she was doing PSO work. Sometimes they did the same fantasy with both of us, sometimes they did one fetish with me and another with her. Occasionally we talked to him together. (These were by far some of my all time favorite calls.)

Sometimes I’ve talked to a man and we’ve made a horrible match. Either he wants a submissive or wants to talk about a subject that I don’t know much about. I’ve referred him to fellow PSO. The client is happy because he gets a better experience and I’ve helped a friend out. She refers a client to me in the future when they’re not a good match. This creates solidarity. When we knowingly share or refer clients everyone benefits.

Sex Worker Solidarity Series
Sex Worker Solidarity: Introduction
Sex Worker Solidarity: Audacia Ray
Sex Worker Solidarity: Dallas From Babeland
Sex Worker Solidarity: Secondhand Rose
Sex Worker Solidarity: Rachel Kramer Bussel

Posted by Vixen in PSO Confessions, Interviews, Sex Workers