queeriously

thanks for this, it’s humbling (I’m judgy sometimes too)

ummmmm 🫠😳

An overwhelmingly Happy V-Day to us sapphics 😈

I thought Russia was banned? (That got me extra mad that Israel isn’t). they talked abt it when I watched the men’s free skate prog & the Russian national champ was skating but not under a Russian flag, some kind of independent status

🧵 w what’s been key for me in educating myself abt SW

ENJOY learning & unlearning. Tip SWers & donate to mutual aid. Be open & teachable.

From @rebellecunt.bsky.social a rich thread (see esp the commentary on individual entries—many media get some things right & others v wrong

bsky.app/profile/rebe...

Some great lists for that:

bsky.app/profile/paul...

MORE to learn: from fiction, lit, movies (the ones SWers recommend & are involved in producing). Avoid sob & savior stories.

Two I loved recently: @angelicanoi.bsky.social ’s novel All Hookers Go to Heaven & the TV series Pose (know your queer hist!)

2) @nothustlingpod.bsky.social is DELIGHTFUL to hear abt SWers as awesome, full people—and the work bleeds in & changes one’s perspective on lots, so still relevant for learning abt SW issues themselves. The people behind the work!

Juniper’s Substack | Juniper Fitzgerald | Substack Howdy, I write about issues affecting sex workers, including local and national policies, stigma, and lateral whorephobia. I also write historical fiction about 19th century sex workers in the Midwest...

WHERE to learn:

1) Interviews, newsletters, workers’ own perspectives.

I’ve learned a lot from @tryst.link interviews, queer & SW specific zines, @workinggirlspress.bsky.social & Substacks (it’s not just for incel alt right bros!)—one I read is juniperfitz.substack.com

3) The diff b/w decriminalization & legalization, the wrongness of the Nordic model, & what SWers themselves want (not a monolith tho!)

SWers know “we keep us safe” & have the experience from policy & community organizing to concrete tools & strats for safety

WHAT to learn that may be less obvious:

1) Queer & trans hist & politics r inextricable from SW. Bc many SWers are in these groups; even more bc the struggles are linked historically & obscenity laws are anti-queer laws.

2) Mutual aid, alt models of community, governance, what institutions can do

“Nothing about us without us.” Distrust an org that says it supports SWers or does advocacy until you’ve really looked in. Go to the orgs SWers endorse first. Reject orgs, panels, programs that don’t include SWers.

For my civ leftists:

1) Don’t be a SWERF, duh. Lots are. Do the internal work to start unlearning.
2) Get so clear on the diff b/w SW and sex trafficking (the common Marxist frame of ”prostitutes & pimps“ is awful).

Ask what is needed rather than assuming (see a theme?)
SW is work & also the kind of work it is w/in a stigmatizing society is unique.

This actually holds especially for civ leftists and queers: we know less than we think & proximity isn't special knowledge

Listen more than talk. Ask questions (you're doing well if you do bc men and whew low bars). Treat providers as the experts & authorities on their work. Believe them.

Approach, far #1: Don't assume!! That a worker you hire wants to talk abt their exp or the job.

If you do hire someone for your own learning, make sure they wanna talk that. Plenty of folks want/need keep "politics" out of the bedroom & dates for reasons from personal to the labor of teaching.

Plus Expertise & takes SWers have goes so far beyond “sexy” to biz, op sec, content, marketing, organizing…

In this thread:
1) How to approach it
2) What to learn
3) Where to learn

Have loved as client & queer educating myself on SW! to be an ally, but also to learn abt society & the fascinating work. Stigmatized & marginalized SW sheds light on SO MUCH of society & politics & SWers often know first and most intense the threats coming up for the rest of us

😍🌈

plus it’s a lonely endeavor & the mundane that we dont talk abt / get to talk abt is actually really helpful to hear others have too (and I hope helpful for you in your process to share!)

YESSSS I *love* it! (and not just as a fellow phd student—voyeuring expertise and nerdery is just 👁️👁️🍿)

Please, don’t trust ANY anti-sex-trafficking nonprofit that refuses to support the labor rights of consensual adult sex workers.

We know for a fact that criminalization leads to exploitation and trafficking.

I would also be wary of those who fund such organizations.

Feel This hard 🫂🫂

Yesssssssss LOVE

i didn’t even realize all I’ve posted abt since they started is the Olympics but I’m totally fine w becoming a Milan fan acct for a few weeks

I get soooo emotional watching the Olympics. Always, every time, since I was like 6. So so good to see what humans are capable of in the greatest sense while we suffer the worst of what humans are capable of.

Plus everyone’s gorgeous & excellence is hot.

purrrrrfection 🫂🌈

extreme expertise esp w body is my kink SO I am having quite the time watching the Olympics thx for asking ❄️🔥🥵🫠

🙋‍♀️🙋🙋‍♂️