I recently attended the Scarlet Alliance National Forum in Melbourne, Australia’s biggest peer-led sex work conference...and some activists said something that stuck with me.

Day One included reports from all member organisations, including Australia’s very own sex worker art collective, Debby Doesn’t Do it For Free. Two of the ‘Debbys’ got up on-stage, full of camaraderie and good cheer. “We think all art made by sex workers is valid.” they said. “If you make art about sex work, you are glorious.”

Okay so I’m paraphrasing - I wasn’t able to whip out my notebook in time to scribble the exact words down. But, in essence, they told us that having a say isn’t about hierarchy or gatekeeping - that any sex worker who uses their lived experience to make art deserves space and attention.

Despite the warm welcome I’ve received, I sometimes feel uncomfortable in peer spaces because I’m so goddamn socially awkward. I suck at making protest signs and freak out at rallies, overwhelmed by crowds. And although I’ve written a few submissions and harassed a few pollies, my grand plans often fall prey to executive dysfunction. Basically, I often feel as if I’m failing to live up to the amazing example set by our community leaders.

The Debbys made me question my assumptions about myself. ‘All art is valid!’ Could the same apply to activism? Is all we do to share our lived experience valid, and worth space? At a conference full of amazing people, some of whom I know are uncomfortable to call themselves ‘activists’, who feel they don’t fit in or that they don’t do enough…is it possible that every step we take, large or small, has value?

Sex work advocacy is often about marches, speeches, and submissions. But there are also workers who support the community in creative ways - making art, helping out, hosting spaces, teaching others, offering advice, sharing stories and calling out those who do us harm. Here are some workers who have used their powers for good in their own individual way.

Using art to teach the world

First, let’s talk about art. As the Debbies have said, it’s a great medium for sharing the lived experience of sex workers.

Art is an incredible way to connect with the world, especially for marginalized and misunderstood people. But the history books have often privileged the wealthy (who have time to create) or those sanctioned by government and religious leaders (arguably more propaganda than art). Luckily, the Internet has somewhat democratized the situation, making art (and artists) accessible and boosting diversity of voices around the world. Increasingly, sex workers are using their creative and artistic skills to share their lived experience and stand up for our rights.

Squiggles and Sluts is a queer and trans multi-media artist and sex worker. They grew up in Occupied Sandia Pueblo Territory (Albuquerque, New Mexico) and relocated to Occupied Piscataway Territory (Baltimore, Maryland) in 2015 where they currently work and live. ​Their paintings and illustrations run rampant with colour and life, depicting sex workers of all kinds. Hot pinks and pastel colors make scenes of the everyday lives of strippers, cammers and escorts pop out from our screens. But it’s not just about the aesthetic: their aim is to show queerness and sex as ‘a healing force’. ‘Queer sex workers have always shared and intimacy with each other that is tender and beautiful’, they say. Their work draws from their experiences as a trans person in the sex industry, with genderqueerness and flamboyance a key theme.

It hasn’t always been easy - they’ve battled with online censorship, and have been deplatformed on some social media sites. But their huge body of work, showing sex workers in glorious colour, grabs the emotions of the viewer in a way that words alone often fail to do. They sell a range of prints, stickers, shirts, and other wearables on their website. Since 2020, they’ve also produced illustrations for articles published on Tryst’s blog.

Art is an effective way to influence popular opinion and give insights into marginalized communities. Squiggles and Sluts has amazing reach, and they’re an excellent example of how creative sex workers can impact the world.

Sharing important conversations

Sometimes promoting acceptance is just a matter of letting someone overhear an important conversation. With the podcast Somebody You Love, sex workers Jenna Love and Holly Harte share honest discussions about the sex industry.

Jenna Love is an Australian full service sex worker and adult content creator based in the lower Blue Mountains in NSW. Hailing from a theater background, she’s a natural on camera and spends a lot of time educating clients via her blogs and vlogs. Holly Harte is also a full-service worker, with past stripping and brothel experience. She describes herself as a 'curvy companion, alien, cat lady, and leftist' and currently works as an escort, based in Canberra.

They started the podcast together in May 2021, after the suggestion came up during a casual conversation with a client in a doubles booking. The podcast aims to ‘demystify sex work and give a human voice to sex workers’. And they’ve certainly done just that, with hours of funny and intense personal conversations that dive deep into the nuances of life in the industry. They share their thoughts and tips on client etiquette…but also cover complex topics such as politics, sex worker rights, disability and emotional boundaries.

Their project has received excellent feedback from workers and clients alike. Many clients have remarked on how much these conversations have helped them understand more about the lives of the workers they spend time with. And many sex workers have commented that they feel more understood, and less alone.

Making space for those who are missing out

Peer outreach comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s on a large scale, such as the amazing work done by our peer organizations. Sometimes it’s one-to-one, such as helping a colleague or listening to a friend when they’ve had a bad day. And, sometimes, it’s about making space for those who aren’t being supported.

The latter is the case for Mistress Marley, the self-described ‘Beyonce of BDSM’. She’s a Black dominatrix based in New York City - a femdomme, kink educator, sex work activist, play party curator and ‘entrepreneur in the art of seduction’. Motivated by her experiences as a worker of color, she’s created peer education and play spaces specifically to nurture and support those who aren’t always welcome elsewhere.

In July 2019, Mistress Marley founded the Black Domme Sorority, Facebook group where Black and Brown kink workers can support each other. The community grew rapidly, reaching 1,000 members within a year. In an interview for the Intersectionalist, she says that the project was about making room for people of color: “I never want another Black or Afro-Latinx Dom to have to go through being alone.” She also runs the Orgazm Experience, a series of kink events specifically for Black and Afro Latina/o hedonists, voyeurs, and kinksters. Its motto is, ‘Creating safe spaces for our community one party at a time’.

By focusing on the people who need her, she’s created a support network that helps build her peers up, and gives them a space that’s entirely their own.

Striking back with satire

When all else fails, laughter is sometimes the only way to clap back. This is especially the case when it comes to big legislators, the people who’ve enacted laws such as SESTA/FOSTA in recent years. One worker who has used this to our advantage is adult content producer and cosplayer Savannah Solo.

Savannah Solo is a content creator and social media superstar who produces hilarious Twitter videos and cosplay content. They’ve been a sex worker since 2019, and have accumulated an enthusiastic following of sci-fi and gamer fans worldwide. In an interview for Xbix, they share how they got started: “I would make little Twitter videos about how bizarre and funny day-to-day life can be as an internet sex worker, and the other performers would share my posts with their friends or followers, which put me on the map the way no spicy lewd pic ever could for me.”

In August 2021, Savannah used their cosplay skills to dress up as a sexy version of anti porn activist Anne Wagner. The Republican legislator had recently called for OnlyFans to be investigated, declaring that ‘all sex work is illegal’. Savannah’s response was to produce content mimicking the Senator’s look, enacting a hilarious (and disturbingly sexy) version of the Republican conservative.

Now that online censorship is heavier than ever, it’s inspiring to see one of our own utilizing the spaces we still have available to mock those who persecute us. It’s one small way of taking the power back.

When it comes to activism, lived experience is all you need.

After my awkward banner-making attempts at the last protest, one could assume that I’m not cut out to be an activist. So it’s reassuring to discover that we all have a place in this community.

Do you have an idea for a project that will make our world brighter? Do you feel moved to speak up, reach out to a peer, or simply show up and be counted at a sex worker event? Whether big or small, organized or solo, in person or online, the stuff we do has an impact. It’s not about specific skills or training…it’s just about having lived experience.

When we talk about activism, a friend of mine offers this advice: “Why do we go around saying sex workers are experts and that sex work is work? It's because we're in a world that's telling us the opposite most of the time.” Stigma, discrimination and harmful laws have chipped away at our pride, and denied our own understanding of ourselves as professionals. Recognising that we are skilled, and qualified to take action, is essential.

Whether big or small, organized or solo, in person or online, the stuff we do has an impact. It’s not about specific skills or training…it’s just about having lived experience.

So, how can we be activists in our own way? I think it’s about being yourself. You may want to get involved in your local peer organization, make a submission for law reform, or run a class or event for your fellow workers. Or your activism may look more like publishing a short story online, creating a zine, designing a t-shirt or penning an impassioned Tweet thread.

Regardless of how you choose to be heard, there’s a lot you can accomplish. And, in the immortal words of the Debbys, all sex worker art is valid.