Now: Where are sex workers voices?
Now: In contemporary times there’s definitely more representation of workers voices in researcher discourse. Authors and researchers, like Elizabeth Bernstein, Tiantian Zheng, and Philippe Bourgois, attempt to provide voices for the workers that they interview. Of course, this doesn’t mean that those consuming it will result in a perfect translation. However, new advances in technology have provided platforms for sex workers to begin relaying their stories.
For sex workers, technology has created a blogosphere that provides them the ability to have a voice. One site, Bound not Gagged, has been particularly successful in providing a space for sex workers to explain their experiences. Bound not Gagged's "Why a Blog for Sex Workers?" page portrays exactly why the blogosphere has been so important to the sex worker community:
"Why a Blog for Sex Workers?
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody that escorts around the country are tuned in to how the media cover our work, and our lives.
It may, however, come as a surprise to some that sex workers in many sectors have something to say about it. They have insight, they have analysis and they have outrage!
When sex work is in the press, the coverage most always brings to the surface more issues than a single organization’s statement can address. As advocates, it would be impossible to make a statement that truly reflects the voices of this dynamic and diverse community.
BoundnotGagged is a space for these voices to be heard. It is a place for sex workers to respond to the way that they’re portrayed in the media, the way that sexist laws are used to undermine women’s rights and their feelings about the ethical dilemma of exposing a client list. The issues are deep and broad. The stories are powerful and frustrating.
BoundnotGagged is our way of responding to the injustice and hypocrisy that keeps sex workers’ voices muted and faces hidden. Sex workers may be in hiding, but they refuse to be silent. This blog will give you an inside look at the true inner-workings of this mysterious business.
The Desiree Alliance is committed to creating space and campaigns that address the real needs of sex workers. We are proud to sponsor this project to provide a platform where sex workers can speak for themselves.
Sincerely,
Stacey Swimme
Desiree Alliance" [1]
This message and space is critical to the expansion of discourse for sex workers. It's clear that their stories have historically been underrepresented and misinterpreted by those processing the information. Blogs like this are great because it allows sex workers to have a voice. Unfortunately, it is simultaneously disappointing, because it reflects a broader discourse that fails to include those working in the industry.
[1] Swimme, Stacey and Desiree Alliance. "Why A Blog For Sex Workers?". Bound, Not Gagged. N.p., 2007. Web. 1 May 2016.