Let’s talk about sex. Sex work, that is. As a woman in Canada that is pro-sex work, I am in the minority. It’s really quite unfortunate. I do operate in the industry in a few capacities myself, and take pride in that fact.

So why are we talking about sex work? As you may know, many areas of the sex industry are considered illegal here in Winnipeg, namely prostitution. Many people think that this is such a great thing, keeping those dirty men and women behind bars for being such nasty temptations, but when one sits back and considers the facts, a completely different story reveals itself.

Men and women working in the sex trade are just like you and me. They have families, friends and jobs. Yes, jobs. My day job requires of me to put on a happy face no matter how I’m feeling, listen to people’s problems, deal with drunks and give out advice on life, love, you name it. You guessed it, I tend bar. The work day of a prostitute? Exactly the same. Sex work is not always about sex — it’s quite often about people that are feeling lonely.

Still, sex work is pushed to the margins. The illegality of most it is what keeps it dangerous, not safe. Because there is the threat of jail (being taken away from your family, friends and entire life), women and men are forced to work almost invisibly. The trouble with that is that when crimes against sex workers occur, there is no one there to see them.

For more information on these topics, you might want to pick up Gillian Balfour and Elizabeth Comack’s Criminalizing Women: Gender (In)Justice in Neo-Liberal Times, and, specifically, the essay ” The In-Call Sex Industry: Classed and Gendered Labour on the Margins,” which describes the lives of many sex workers and explains the legitimacy of sex work as work.

If you don’t have time to stop by the library, just head over to the Current and have a peek at this inspiring video covering Britain’s Sex Worker Open University, which features various seminars and training to sex workers. Normalizing behaviour such as this gathering offers a hope for the future of sex workers. Here’s hoping that criminalization can become a thing of the past.

If you have any questions, are looking for advice or would just like to chat, drop me a line at sexblog@themanitoban.com! Ya know, I’m around.