Are Trans Sex Workers Deserving of Liberation?

[Shana A]

Are Trans Sex Workers Deserving of Liberation?

Filed By Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | October 20, 2011 3:00 PM

http://www.bilerico.com/2011/10/are_trans_sex_workers_deserving_of_liberation.php

This week, Morgan Page, Trans Community Services Coordinator at Toronto's 519 Centre, posted over at PrettyQueer.com on her concerns about how "just about every non-sex working trans person alternately uses your existence as a political pawn in their campaigns for middle-class privileges (often called "rights") and condemns you for either being a victim or making the movement look bad." She talks about some of the problematic things she hears, such as "Sex work is perfectly fine as a choice, but we need to talk about how survival sex work and "trafficking" are hurting our community!" and "I wish the media would stop making it look like we're all hookers!" Take a look at her post to get her full perspective on these issues.

As a person with plenty of middle-class privileges who campaigns for that neo-liberal fantasy of "rights," I have often wondered about this. Do I stand in solidarity with trans sex workers and their right to dignity and protection in their chosen work? Or am I fighting for rights so that trans people won't have to engage in sex work when their educational and employment opportunities are enlarged?

[eli77]

The original article at PrettyQueer is vastly more interesting: http://www.prettyqueer.com/2011/10/17/sex-werk/#more-2445

And I find the Bilerico article kind of obnoxious. It isn't okay for cis people to discuss among themselves how trans folk should live their lives. So how is it okay for non-sex workers to do the same for sex-workers? And why do I care that another random privileged middle-class woman has "a lot of complicated feelings about sex work"? Bleh.