What’s up with all this Anti-Porn/Anti-SexWork rhetoric hitting our For You Pages and social media feeds?! I know I’m not the only one who’s noticed and even felt the effects of the ever changing social media Terms of Service; sex workers of every kind are being scraped away from the internet daily while Sex Work Exclusionary Radical Feminists (SWERFs), spreading anti-porn misinformation get thousands of likes and often millions of views on posts reaming against the sex industry.
The loudest voices trying to critique the sex industry right now aren’t even sex workers, it’s typically middle class white women and celebrities conflating consensual work with abuse and exploitation. This positioning and rhetoric does not exist in a vacuum and it’s having real life repercussions on sex workers safety, our ability to access clients and even how legislation surrounding our lives is written– and all of this is directly affecting our safety and well-being! I think it’s despicable that sex workers of all kinds have been struggling to critique so many aspects of their industries for decades, from patriarchal violence down to how criminalization and proximity to police affects our ability to work safely, yet we have no representation or protections because we’re sadly seen as victims or criminals. The lack of humanity in legislation and algorithms is taking a toll on sex workers across the globe.
Over the years I’ve watched racist propaganda conflating sex work with trafficking and exploitation thrive, backed by PTA moms and shady organizations. There is constant arguing in support of The Nordic Model, a partial criminalization model that punishes buyers in the attempts to “save” sex workers and “end demand” which sex workers have been deeply critical of for various reasons. Posts mocking workers, our experiences and even our clients are being favored over the voices of those currently struggling within the industry and struggling to maintain presence online. Workers voices are being dismissed while Antis’ and SWERFs are loudly proclaiming the idea that all sex workers are abused, raped, violated victims, which essentially takes away sex workers choice and autonomy in the process. If radicals aren’t respecting my Yes’ then they’re definitely not listening to my No’s.
Workers truly aren’t given a chip to dip within these conversations and it’s gutting. I really can’t imagine thinking someone is violated everyday when they go to work and still talking to them the way SWERFs speak to sex workers. Evicting “victims”. Arresting “victims”. Deporting “victims”. All under the pretenses of “rescue”. It’s incredible the way SWERFs have co-opted misogynistic language to talk to and describe workers under the guise of “protecting and saving.” Their behavior is ironic, antagonistic and intentional. SWERFs perpetuate the very harm, criminalization and stigma sex workers face while simultaneously mocking us for it.
I cannot stress this enough: the uptick in anti-immigration policy, anti-trans legislation and the anti-sex work sentiment that's been building in this country over the years are not separate movements, they are interconnected! Where you find SWERFs you’ll also find Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs) sharing misinformation and propaganda about trans people, mainly trans women. They insist they’re just being “‘critical,”’ as if their opinions aren’t being encouraged by some of the most ill-intended people like conservative politicians, hate groups and conspiracy theorists. I want people to recognize the common thread between both of these movements because they’re affecting education and legislation successfully.
I wake up every morning doing what I can to fight against these posts. I try to share resources in limited comment sections or reply in stitches but it never feels like it’s enough. I worry about the repercussions of being vocal and visible since doxxing and online threats of harm are never taken seriously but I feel forced to say something, anything. Anti-porn propaganda videos and posts get millions of views while I struggle to keep a profile and battle shadowbanning even though I’m talking neck up about resources, education and organizing– all because I’m speaking about sex work in a way thats not derogatory. Sometimes I even catch a community guideline violation for ‘Harassment & Bullying’ for combating this misinformation, and each time I desperately hope I can appeal it so I won’t lose all the hard work I’ve put into my profile.
The algorithm loves the conflict and sensationalism around these conversations. Other sex workers tag me in posts or send me what they see on their For You Pages every morning because they're also worried about the misinformation being spread. Everyday there’s a new online safety bill or an updated terms of service agreement threatening workers' whole livelihoods always under the guise of “protecting and saving”. I’m watching policy and the internet change without considering sex workers and it’s gruesome. When so many of us are already turning to this line of work to be accommodated for various reasons, struggling this hard against misinformation feels impossible. Everyone is suffering and being exploited under capitalism; Needing to debate every aspect of my existence just to work safely and trying to get people to sympathize with my needs right now is really exhausting. My legislators won’t even acknowledge sex workers as workers for fear of being labeled “sympathizers,” so they’re definitely not collaborating with us on policy or anything else.
I know this misinformation is coming across everybody’s For You Pages and feeds, not just sex workers. I desperately want to help nonworkers become more engaged with this discourse so they can not only help shut down such rhetoric when it arises, but so they can also begin to prioritize and boost sex workers in these conversations since we’ve been so violently excluded.
It’s not just sex workers, Radical Feminists, often shortened to radfems, also target vulnerable groups like trans women and people of color in their exclusionary politics. I feel sick over the way the “anti trafficking” propaganda within the USA has been used to spread racist anti-immigration moral panic and scare white PTA mothers into believing misinformation. The fascism within our feminist movements, communities and leftist spaces needs to be addressed before there are more repercussions and negative impacts. I am desperate to see sex workers and trans people humanized to a system and movements that so often overlooks our needs just because of our jobs, identities and positionings.
What are SWERFs?
Sex Work Exclusionary Radical Feminists are just that; feminists who exclude sex workers from their movement. These feminists don’t collaborate or acknowledge sex workers in their “advocacy,” often being vocally critical of the industry without considering workers' material needs. Radical feminists hyper-focus on gender and misogyny to a dangerous degree while not acknowledging race, class or the consistent, systemic harm that often keeps people in oppressive positions.
It’s no secret that Radical Feminism has racist neglectful roots, notoriously excluding black women from higher education and voting efforts. In recent years radfems have been seen collaborating with white supremacists and fascists because they can find “common ground” with these groups such as their shared hatred for trans people, specifically trans women. This collaboration is deeply incompatible, and such insidiousness should NOT be tolerated in any regard, but unfortunately calling our fascism within feminist movements has been almost impossible.
Anti propaganda is almost pornographic to the average person, especially when there’s not a lot of literature or education humanizing trans people or sex workers to the general public! Radical Feminists are playing off already established insecurities, confusion and stigma around gender, sexuality and pornography, which is fueling anti-trans and anti-sex work legislation and sentiment across borders.
I am begging people to ask themselves who this exclusionary violent rhetoric uplifts, and at whose expense this comes. This dangerous narrative crafted by Radicals is eaten up by a mainstream audience. I am seeing exclusionary propaganda being rehashed not only on social media, but in news cycles and policy. Conservatives, conspiracy theorists and religious zealots love watching ‘good feminists’ police and exclude vulnerable marginalized groups within their own movements. It plays right into conservatives and religious fanatics' own violent agendas, and Radicals are basically doing the harm for them. It’s seen as the most compassionate Feminist option while still being misogynistic and oppressive.
I find it painfully ironic that SWERFs and radfems choose to collaborate with the very oppressors who want to strip away the human rights of vulnerable people rather than working with said vulnerable people themselves. It has done irreparable damage to communities and our ability to progress forward. In a movement to unpack and liberate women from constant oppressive systems, SWERFS, and more specifically Radical Feminists, have created their own caste systems of “good women” and “bad women,” essentially losing the compassion and humanity needed to combat such oppressive systems in the first place.
Centering Sex Workers in Conversations.
Everyone and their mother has some lukewarm take on the sex industry, but no one knows the industry better than the workers currently struggling to work safely within it. Exclusionaries do not know better than sex workers! Industry-critical takes by Radicals don’t exist independently from a system that refuses to acknowledge workers existence, especially not when workers are struggling this hard to keep their heads above water with no representation or protection.
I deeply sympathize with most peoples confusion and fear around the sex industry. Never once have workers implied this job doesn’t bring us closer to certain kinds of patriarchal violence, but workers have been making that critique since the beginning and it’s always loudly ignored in favor of cherry-picked ex-workers opinions or misinformation funded by religious organizations.
Despite this, sex workers have done as much work as they can to be present and vocal while risking so much. I know personally I’m desperate to be humanized to a system and have the ability to live safely without repercussions or fear but I know that’s not an easy luxury when being vocal possibly puts me on a radar. I am persistent and tenacious but also this shits frustrating when there’s so much else going on in the world I’d like to be focusing on!
Some people would insist Radical Feminism isn’t really feminism, but I think that’s a huge mistake. Racism and exclusionary politics have thrived within certain waves of feminism because, unfortunately, many feminists are reluctant to call out this violence for various reasons. Exclusion is palatable when it's cloaked in “sisterhood” and agreeable progressive language. I would insist that radical feminists are just as dangerous as incels and other far right extremists causing terror to vulnerable people, just again, more agreeable.
Of course there is nothing liberating or progressive about criminalizing an income that some of the most vulnerable people across the globe rely on and I deeply feel that we need to push back against the anti-sex work, anti-trans and anti-immigration sentiment radicals push in supposed progressive spaces. Fascists and conservatives certainly aren’t gonna address radfems when radfems are helping these alt-right groups spread harm! It doesn’t hurt to pay attention; many radicals post something agreeable just to post something exclusionary a few posts later. If it seems unaligned it’s because it probably is.
I’m always asked “What can we do?” when I’m trying to raise awareness and it always feels like such a big question! Everyone has a role in the fight in decriminalizing and destigmatizing sex work. The biggest thing is to keep your feminism intersectional and have better sex politics! Workers of all types are fighting against bad representation, misinformation and daily harm. No one deserves to be harmed, evicted, embarrassed, deported or arrested because of their job. I promise there are sex workers in your area struggling to be heard and acknowledged.
You should be following sex workers of all types on social media and be reposting their work. I deeply encourage more folks to be raising hell when our profiles are deplatformed, and to be addressing discriminatory algorithms and moderation. Use the right language when advocating for us and push our voices to the front. There are ways to challenge morality clauses, surveillance and bad policy within if folks find themselves with any sort of influence. Legislators love hearing from you about the importance of collaborating with us on things affecting our lives. Stop supporting shady “anti-trafficking” orgs selling merch to scared PTA moms and start supporting those led by sex workers. Call out the fascism within your leftist and feminist movements! In the ever expanding digital age, there is an overwhelming volume of information presented to us each day. It’s important to be able to take a step back and think not just about the information we are presented with, but why that information is being presented to us. When we stop and ask ourselves why, we can open our eyes to the veiled hatred all around us.
Are you a sex worker with a story, opinion, news, or tips to share? We'd love to hear from you!
We started the tryst.link sex worker blog to help amplify those who aren't handed the mic and bring attention to the issues ya'll care about the most. Got a tale to tell? 👇☂️✨
