Thank you for visiting SWAAY.org, the web site advocating for understanding, respect, and change by connecting the public with the people and facts behind sex work. Our three-pronged approach is reflected in the web site's structure, meant to draw in people who are new to sex workers' rights issues and help you understand what sex workers do and who we are, give you information about how to be respectful allies and ethical customers, and motivate you to support sex workers in changing the bad laws and social stigmas that affect our lives.

SWAAY is seeking short written submissions from current and former sex workers for the "respect" section of the web site. Got something to share about how people can be respectful? Check out our submission page for more.

May 14th link roundup

* Rachel Aimee wrote and excellent piece about strip club labor issues (and the many proposed, imperfect solutions) for In These Times.
* Former escort (Belle de Jour) Dr Brooke Magnanti posted a useful short guide for protecting yourself online: How To Blog Anonymously (and how not to).
* In India, VAMP and Mitra Sanghatana marked Mother's Day weekend with a march in defense of sex worker mothers after a brutal attack by a police officer on a pregnant sex worker.
* In England, sex workers and public health advocates are still battling the urban legend that large sporting events like the Olympics lead to mass sex trafficking.

May 7th link roundup

* In Houston, masked tactical teams were deployed to arrest women suspected of being prostitutes.
* In Zambia, sex workers have announced that they will defend themselves, with force if necessary, if police try and sweep them off the streets.
* Sex workers in Barcelona also made headlines with a large protest against a new law banning street prostitution.
* Australian activist Elena Jeffreys wrote Politics puts sex worker safety under threat for a mainstream news site.
* Writer and former escort Tracy Quan recently published two pieces on sex work topics: Linda Lovelace and 'Deep Throat's' 40-Year Legacy and 'Whores' Glory': An Interview With Michael Glawogger, about his documentary on prostitution worldwide.
* Jiz Lee's Karma Pervs, a porno fundraiser, will be donating this month's sales to NARAL.

April 30th extra-large link roundup

* In the wake of the Canadian Supreme Court legalizing brothels, Maggies Toronto has posted a guide to understanding the legal changes, while the federal government of Canada has announced plans to fight this step forward for human rights. Tits and Sass published Ontari-Ho!: A Guide to the Court of Appeal Prostitution Decision.
* NoCondomsAsEvidence.org has launched for the campaign for New York State Bill A1008/S323, which would stop police and prosecutors from using possession of condoms as evidence of prostitution.
* The New York Times published a piece on the no condoms as evidence campaign.
* As US Secret Service agents were scandalized for trying to rip off a Columbian sex worker, we had some rare mainstream public debate about criminalizing sex work. Carol Leigh was published in the New York Times arguing for decriminalization, Reason Magazine discussed both sides, and Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly talked down to an activist from the Sex Workers Project on his show.
* Maggie McNeill wrote an important article about about how we should learn from sex work organizing in the developing world.
* In "who will save us from our saviors?" news, a Rhode Island cop was busted stealing money from a stripper, and a Seattle counselor supposedly helping underage prostitutes allegedly groped and propositioned a 16-year-old girl left in his care in an overnight youth shelter. This may have been an ongoing problem at the facility.
* While the counselor suspected of multiple acts of sexual wrongdoing towards teen prostitutes is free pending his trial, Anna Gristina, accused of running a brothel in New York City, has a $2 million dollar bail.
* A former porn performer who was fired from her job as a science teacher lawyers up to fight her termination.
* Former escort Ceyenne Doroshow currently has a Kickstarter project to fund the publishing of her cookbook memoir, Cooking in Heels.
* Mama Cash, an international women's group, has announced the Red Umbrella Fund, designed to provide funding for sex workers' rights projects.
* Simi Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles, has passed its own law requiring porn performers to use condoms. Performers themselves oppose such government mandates.
* Atheist blogger Greta Christina, a former sex worker herself, has asked sex workers to share their stories on her blog to show their diversity of experiences.
* Dr Laura Agustín reports on sex worker involvement at the Association for Women's Rights in Development conference: Sex workers at AWID reject feminist fundamentalism.
* In England, sex workers are fighting the urban legend that sporting events like the Olympics lead to mass sex trafficking, and are calling for a moratorium on arrests.

April 2nd link roundup

* The Canadian Supreme Court has legalized brothels!
* See reactions on the implications and details of the decision from Dr Laura Agustín, Xtra!, A Paper Bird, PIVOT, and a Q&A with Valerie Scott of Sex Professionals of Canada.
* Bad laws are being chipped away in the US, too: Federal Judge Says Forcing Some Prostitutes to Register As Sex Offenders Violates the Equal Protection Clause.
* Dr Laura Agustín writes on calls for a moratorium on arrests during the London Olympics.
* The Guardian published a piece on The unintended consequences of Nick Kristof's anti-sex trafficking crusade.
* In Washington State, a new anti-trafficking law has been passed that requires escort directories located in the state to "obtain documentation that escorts advertised there are at least 18." One supporter of the new law is quoted as saying, "It might reduce the volume of ads, but the ultimate goal is to shut that section down." Attacking advertising venues is a popular and effective strategy of anti-prostitute groups.

March 26th link roundup

* Journalist celebrity and sex trafficking hysteric Nick Kristof has been caught in a big lie in a recent column attacking Backpage.com.
* In the wake of the viral Kony 2012 video, there has a been a lot of excellent discussion about Westerners' approaches to trying to "help" the developing world, such as this piece: The White Savior Industrial Complex. While not directly about sex workers' rights, many of these issues are shared by our movement.
* Australian NGO Grey Man has been in the news again after it was exposed for faking rescues of "child sex slaves" in Thailand in order to get donations.
* Willamette Week reports on the titillating tale of how an Oregon newspaper editor, who published at least 16 anti-prostitution screeds over the years, died of a heart attack while having sex with an escort.
* A group of escorts in Madrid have made international headlines by refusing to accept banker clients until the country's banks start lending to middle-class families and small businesses again.
* The North Carolina Harm Reduction recently produced a video that discusses the violence experienced by (mostly street-based) sex workers, how these abuses are fueled by criminalization, plus tips about how to keep yourself safe.
* On Reason.com: New Mexico Cop on Paid Leave While Being Investigated for Raping Sex Workers.
* To end on positive news, a report from Australia's New South Wales government is making waves by showing how legalized prostitution has led to what's being called the world's safest and healthiest sex workers.

March 19th link roundup

* First, a big congratulations to Durbar/DMSC, an amazing sex workers' rights project in India, as they celebrate their 20th anniversary.
* In heartening mainstream coverage, both AskMen.com and The Huffington Post have recently had sex worker-positive articles.
* Dr Laura Agustín wrote about a recent report from Empower, Thai sex workers: Anti-trafficking Rescues are Our Biggest Problem. Also see Empower's new video, Last Rescue in Siam. You can read more about Empower on their own web site, empowerfoundation.org.
* Progress may be coming in the Long Island serial killer(s) case: a new police chief is stepping in to give the case a fresh look.
* No matter how many hundreds of consenting adults Honolulu keeps arresting in their anti-prostitution sweeps, they just can't find any trafficking victims. Anti-sex trafficking hysterics insist that this means more arrests are needed.
* In other news, a Texas truck driver has been charged with murdering one prostitute, and is suspected of killing several others.
* Last week, Los Angeles police were conducting a huge prostitution sting. Stacey Swimme of SWOP Los Angeles had a chance to respond in this radio interview.
* Eminism offers Further thoughts on the economics of “end demand” campaigns against sex trafficking.

March 12th link roundup

* In New York, a campaign is underway to change a law that says that carrying condoms can be used against you as evidence of prostitution. Read about the issue on Human Rights Watch, or in The Atlantic.
* Amidst the fallout from Rush Limbaugh's comments on birth control being for sluts and prostitutes, The Gloss published Let’s Stop Insulting People By Comparing Them To Sex Workers (And Sluts!)
* In Edmonton, Canada, a police officer believes there is a serial killer responsible for the murders of at least 30 prostitutes in the area.
* A California teacher has been suspended after it was revealed that she has appeared in porn. Former sex workers are often fired from "straight" jobs if it comes to light that they used to be in the industry.
* "An independent lawyer appointed to represent the interests of aboriginals at the inquiry into the Robert Pickton case announced her resignation Monday, condemning the hearings for failing to listen to a marginalized people who overwhelmingly made up the serial killer's victims."
* A Canadian gay newspaper published a piece on Cambodian sex workers' rights organizing with the Women's Network for Unity.
* The Nation also recently covered sex work and sex trafficking issues in South East Asia, with a spotlight on Thailand's Empower Foundation.

March 5th link roundup

* A sad reminder of how criminalization enables violence against sex workers: New Mexico Cop on Paid Leave While Being Investigated for Raping Sex Workers.
* A mainstream Nashville news station recently asked, Prostitution Stings: Too Costly?
* Kimberly Kupps, the Florida woman prosecuted for making porn in the privacy of her own home, has taken a plea deal to put the case behind her.
* Dr Laura Agustín published Sex Trafficking: Not Inside the Business of Modern Slavery in CounterPunch.
* As LA's new condoms-in-porn laws go into effect this week, we wanted to remind you that porn performers themselves oppose these regulations. See pieces by Kimberly Kane and Lorelei Lee.
* Fashion designer Marc Jacobs is celebrating his new store in Las Vegas with a benefit shirt for SWOP Las Vegas!

February 27th link roundup

* As the new regulations of porn in Los Angeles are about to go into effect, porn star Kimberly Kane wrote This Porn Star Doesn't Think Much of the LA Condom Law in Vice Magazine.
* Reason Magazine published its thoughts on the topic in LA's Insane War on the Porn Industry.
* Massachusetts is increasing penalties for consensual adult prostitution under the guise of saving children from sex trafficking. A mainstream news article in the Boston Herald actually mentions both sides of the story, pointing out that prostitutes themselves disagree with how they are portrayed by law enforcement as inherently victims.
* Tampa police have introduced unconstitutional "Prostitution Enforcement Zones," barring entry to certain areas of the city by people who have ever been arrested on suspicion of prostitution. Police made 25 arrests during a two-day sting meant to ensnare people under the new PEZ law.
* Last but not least, there are a bunch of new events around the country in the coming month, so check out our calendar.

February 15th link roundup

* The Australian charity The Grey Man continues to get bad press for its complete faking and photoshopping of an alleged "rescue" of Thai children from sex trafficking. Read about it in The Brisbane Times and an opinion piece that gets into broader sex workers' rights issues.
* In more Australian news, Elena Jeffreys of the Scarlet Alliance wrote It's time to fund sex worker NGOs.
* Offbeat Mama, a parenting blog, published a story from a mother about escorting to support her children, and the comments are almost entirely positive.
* In medical news, Study of HIV-resistant sex workers could lead to better AIDS vaccine.
* Ottawa's "Human Lending Library," where one can "check out" a person for 20 minutes to discuss their lives, includes a stripper and a prostitute.
* Researcher Dr Laura Agustín posted an 1858 letter from a prostitute who resisted the notion of "fallen" women needing saving.

February 9th link roundup

* The San Francisco Bay Guardian published a positive piece about SWOP Bay Area, sex workers' rights, and the Google campaign.
* Two sex workers have recently discussed what coming out meant to them. See pieces from Jessie of SWOP Los Angeles about her stepfather's discovery of her blog, and Jiz Lee shares their experiences and advice in Come Out Like a Porn Star.

February 3rd link roundup

* The Village Voice continues their war on sex trafficking hysteria with The Super Bowl Prostitution Hoax, which addresses the myth that large sporting events summon a tsunami of sex trafficking and sexual slavery.
* Simi Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles, is considering passing their own mandatory condoms-on-porn laws. Porn performers themselves strongly oppose such over-regulation.
* Melissa Gira Grant discusses the problems with a new anti-prostitution scare tactic: creating a DNA database of men suspected of paying for sexual services.

Go back and see SWAAY's link roundups from previous weeks >>