Public Women, Public Action: Sex Worker Advocacy and Organization in the United States

Prostitutes and sex workers have a history of organizing and advocating for themselves socially and politically. In the United States, sex worker mobilization exploded in the 1960s through self-created community health centers and grassroots activist groups attempting to change the daily violence and discrimination that they face. Sex worker activism has since expanded to public health advocacy and the nonprofit sector, working within a system hostile to sex work to create radical change. This has expanded the scope of their resources and audience, but despite some success in changing social attitudes, public policy and the law in the United States has remained resistant to responding to sex workers' demands.

Credits

Bryn Whitney-Blum '17, 2016