I'm surprised no one diaried this. This will be short and I'll come by to respond to comments as best I can, but today will be a busy day for me.
December 17th(today -ed) is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. This event was created to call attention to crimes committed against sex workers all over the globe. Originally conceptualized by Annie Sprinkle and initiated by the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle Washington, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers has empowered workers from cities around the world to come together and organize against discrimination and remember victims of violence.
Everyone's welcome! Sex workers, current and former, clients current and former, everyone's invited. (Think you've never met a sex-worker? Come on by!)
A few words from Annie Sprinkle.
“Green River Killer,” Gary Ridgeway said, “I picked prostitutes as victims because they were easy to pick up without being noticed. I knew they would not be reported missing right away and might never be reported missing. … I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught.” He confessed to having murdered ninety women. Sadly some Seattle prostitutes, their boyfriends or pimps, knew the Green River Killer was Gary Ridgeway for years, but were afraid to come forward for fear of getting arrested, or the police didn’t believe those that did come forward, or the police didn’t seem to care. Ridgeway’s killing spree went on for over twenty years.
Violent crimes against sex workers go underreported, unaddressed and unpunished. There really are people who don’t care when prostitutes are victims of hate crimes, beaten, raped, and murdered. No matter what you think about sex workers and the politics surrounding them, sex workers are a part of our neighborhoods, communities and families. [snip]
In San Francisco we are in the process of organizing a whole events for Dec. 17. A city hall press conference, a memorial ritual at Center for Sex and Culture, and “Naked Women Reading” sex worker writings (Lady Monster’s Event).
Follow the link for the rest of Annie's words as well as 10 ways you can participate!
Sorry again about the short notice, let me make up for it by pointing out that Dec. 21 is Swaay's day of action against Google. (Google? Yep!)
Google announced this week that they are making the largest-ever corporate donation to "ending modern day slavery." While fighting slavery and exploitative labor conditions is a worthy cause, Google's list of groups that will be sharing in the $11.5 million dollar fund include at least three which are known for their moralizing and dehumanizing anti-sex worker positions: International Justice Mission, the Polaris Project, and Not for Sale.
When front line sex worker support services like Canada's PACE and PEERS are being forced to close due to lack of funds, it is offensive to watch Google shower money upon well-heeled morality and lobbying groups like the International Justice Mission, which took in over $21.83 million dollars in 2009; the Polaris Project, which took in over $3.75 million dollars in 2009, and Not for Sale, which took in over $1.17 million in 2009. (In contrast to these high-cost, dubious-yield groups, the St James Infirmary, a San Francisco clinic that provides free healthcare sex workers, operated on only $335k in donations and grants in 2010.)
Demands and a full analysis of the groups Google is bankrolling coming soon!