Self Defense for Sex Workers: An Advocate Speaks Up
Posted at 3:16 PM May 14, 2008
Home Alive is a Seattle based anti-violence non-profit organization that offers affordable self-defense classes and provides public education and awareness. Throughout several weekends in April and May, the organization has hosted a series of workshops specifically designed for sex workers. In addition to the basics of self-defense, there were sessions designed to cover budgeting, resume-building for jobs outside the industry, and other skills. The brains behind the series is a local former sex worker named Tobi; Home Alive was kind enough to provide the space for her to do the series.
Naked City editor Audacia Ray had questions for Tobi about how the series came to be, her personal background, and the stigmas that sex workers face.
Audacia Ray: Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you came to organize this workshop series?
I worked as a stripper and a peep show worker for 8 years or so. I came to the work for lack of funds, need for sexual exploration, and primarily because I have learning and emotional disabilities and kept on getting fired from all my ‘clean’ jobs. Being a stripper was the first job I didn’t get fired from. I recently quit the place that I worked for 7 years. I was completely frightened to leave but I got totally burnt out & wound up with horrible knee & back problems. When I left last year I realized that I had no idea how to transition or even if I wanted to and that I still felt like I identified with this community that I no longer spent a chunk of my time with. I started to feel like this large part of my life was a ghost. I didn’t know how to talk about it with new friends, but I still felt it was a large part of my identity. I spent almost all my of 20's as a sex worker, and I had seen more penises and naked peeps than the average bear. I guess I just felt totally isolated and really needed to work some shit out. I truly felt and feel like there lacked resources and community for sex workers in Seattle. There is this large burlesque community and sex positive community up here bit nothing for sex WORKERS and I just felt like those communities didn’t represent me or many of the needs of sex workers. I guess the whole thing was kind of personal. I was brought up by a fierce mother who put a lot of energy into advocacy an community development. I think that I organized this series feeling like I had no other choice. I could sit around feeling completely isolated or I could advocate for myself and create the community that I desired.
Three more questions and answers after the jump.
AR:Mainstream media tends to portray the sex industry as a very dangerous business to work in. To what extent do you think this portrayal is accurate? What do you think are some of the public misconceptions about the dangers that sex workers face?
T: Really, I can only speak from my own experience working in the industry and the possible "dangers" that I faced. I have worked as a stripper and a peep show worker. I think there are always possible dangers in life and as a women working in an industry that doesn’t necessarily come with any workers rights. This has made it all my responsibility to make sure I was safe and making good decisions to ensure that safety. I am not sure If I would say that it is an obscenely dangerous business (at least the places I worked in), but I would say that the nature of the work demanded that I pay more attention to my surroundings and the behaviors of my customers. To procure my safety I felt that I needed to have a real sixth sense (intuition perhaps), as well as a clear sense of boundaries.
I guess I think the public misconceptions many have are that sex workers are a bunch of drug users who are victims to their circumstance, who have no power and choice but to sell their bodies. Thus, they think many folks get pushed around and abused by their clients. I think these misconceptions lead towards more violence. Of course some sex workers fit into aspects of this image but others do not. And I think no one benefits from disempowerment, marginalization, or shame.
AR: What are the main skills you teach in your workshops at Home Alive?
T: The workshop series that I created came out of a need for community, self empowerment, and sustainability. I felt there lacked resources for sex workers in Seattle to feel that the choices that they make are supported by their community and the community is willing to say, "hey! we want you to feel good about yourself and hey here are some skills to share that will help you be in touch with your body, your work and your decisions." The series originally consisted of 5-6 different classes for current, transitioning & former sex workers to share and obtain resources in a nonjudgmental, supportive atmosphere. The workshops consist of self-defense, communication skills, boundary setting, The Feldenkrais Method & other creative movement techniques, basic budgeting, investment strategies, resume building, and yoga. Home Alive graciously hosted the event and is teaching a workshop too! I myself just had the idea to try to make all this happen each workshop is taught by a different awesome facilitator.
AR:Do you think decriminalizing prostitution would reduce the risks that sex workers take? Why or why not?
T: I think much of the public sits on some moral high horse and look at sex workers as the “other,” below them or of the underbelly of society. I think when people look at people as “other “ then themselves they are more likely to rationalize & romanticize violence. I think by decriminalizing prostitution violence towards sex workers would decrease and workers would not be as socially marginalized. I also think having workers rights and basic human rights would also reduce the risks that many folks face because they would have more support from their community to ensure a safer working environment.
