Decriminalisation in our home state of Victoria!

In a month of ups and downs, we got some great news here in Victoria - Sex Work has finally been decriminalised! We wanted to say a massive congratulations to the Australian peak Sex Worker bodies, Vixen Collective and Scarlet Alliance, and the individual Sex Workers who have worked tirelessly for this to pass.

Unfortunately, and despite the progress being made offline, ignorant legislators have continued to introduce harmful and draconian policy targeting adult content, forcing us to close the site that started it all, Switter. You can read Assembly Four's statement on the closure, why there was no other choice and organisations you can get involved with to fight these poorly considered laws here.

New this month

• In the background we have improved the way we format your profile contact information so that we can do some cool things in future with it.

Other changes

• Improve inactive account handling, especially for users who reactivate their account.
• Fixed a few display issues in our emails that caused them to not look as good as they should in some cases and email clients.
• Improved email validity checks to avoid users getting stuck unable to confirm a new address.

In the community

There's loads going on in the community and we want to highlight some things each month in our release notes to help bring more awareness to them. Are you involved in an event or organisation, or know of one, we should highlight? Reach out and let us know!

• SIN Sex Worker Skill Share: is hosting a free, in person sex worker only skill-share on March 24th (24/03/22) at 6:30pm - 7:30pm ACDT!
• Red Maps: Heaux History Project, Under the Red Umbrella, and OldProsOnline launched an interactive map documenting “historical/current SWer landmarks and erotic labor spaces in both San Francisco and Chicago”
• The Revolutionary Art of Queer Sex Work - Gallery exhibition February 3 - March 11, 2022 in Ithica NY
• Woodhull’s Sexual Freedom Summit: The annual event returns live on August 4th-7th 2022. They are currently accepting workshop proposals! The deadline is February 28th. Read more about it and apply here, tweet to share to promote here.
• Sex Work Survival Guide Summit: Their second yearly event will be online on May 1st 2022. More details and free registration is available here.
• Freedom Network USA’s 2022 Anti-Trafficking Conference Registration: Upcoming conference will be held March 16-17th. Registration available here online.

In the media

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (finally!!) covers Sex Work, and they did a really great job!

• How Can Galleries Support Artist Sex Workers? - Babeworld
• Mardi Gras’ Partnership With American Express Is A “Slap In The Face” For LGBTIQ Sex Workers - Lavender Baj
• Sex Workers Detail the Financial Damages of Mastercard’s Discrimination - Samantha Cole
• Washington Post Publishes Warning About Current 'War on Porn' - Gustavo Turner
• Tech’s Censorship of Porn & the Difficulty of Getting Paid - Tess Joseph
• UK Charity Releases Study on Financial Discrimination Against Sex Workers - Gustavo Turner
• Ireland: Laws criminalising Sex Work are facilitating the targeting and abuse of Sex Workers - Amnesty International
• The mournful men who sweetly 'break up' with their OnlyFans models - Brit Dawson
• The truth about modern slavery offenders - David Gadd and Rose Broad
• The resurgence of anti-porn feminism - Sophia Giovannitti
• Sex work stigma is alive and well on OnlyFans - Benjamin Davis
• Online hate speech: Sex workers outed to family and friends on social media - Daniela Pizzirani
• What Black sex workers can teach us this Black History Month - Natasha Darling
• 'What Does Seggs Mean?' The Rise of Sex Euphemisms on Social Media - Chris Stokel-Walker
• Adult Businesses, Sex Workers Again Put at Risk by EARN IT Act - Gustvao Turner
• The dangerously fake link between the Super Bowl and human trafficking - Los Angeles Times Editorial Board
• Bristol strip club ban: Union threatens legal action if council introduces nil cap - Tristan Cork
• Court grants sex worker anonymity in case against payments processor SumUp - Lois Goss
• Australians Could Soon Have to Prove Their Age Before Watching Porn - John Buckley
• The UK's porn age verification plan is a terrible idea - Rachel Thompson
• Richmond massage parlour workers defend safety of their work environment - Maria Rantanen
• Let’s talk about sex, stigmas and how we can be better - Mariana Fabian and Caryl Espinoza Jaen
• Is your sexuality welcomed in Mark Zuckerberg's Metaverse? - Gigi Fong
• This exhibition asks: what would it be like if we decriminalised sex work? - Amelia Abraham
• Author and sex worker Tilly Lawless reveals biggest misconception about industry - Natalie Brown
• Want to Reduce Violence Against Sex Workers? Offer Them Immunity - Ariela Moscowitz
• I Hired A Sex Worker To Save My Marriage. Here's How It Changed Our Lives. - Laura Zam
• Dozens testify to ban sex between law enforcement and those in their custody - Steve Ahlquist
• After Decriminalisation, local councils are the next battle for Sex Workers - Matthew Roberts
• OnlyFans and the porn ban. What really happened? - Sean Russell
• What stripper turned congressional candidate Alexandra Hunt wants you to know - Audra Heinrichs
• Mayor from US town steps down after claiming ice fishing would lead to sex work - Sylvia Looi
• What Porn Stars Can Teach Gavin Newsom About Controlling COVID - Nessa Moreno
• The death of Tumblr porn left a void no other site can fill - Anna Iovine
• Intimate Service Providers: A Third of Aussie Reckon the Internet is Good For Their Sex Lives - Nicole Shackleton, Anne-Maree Farrell and Jennifer Power
• “I occupy a niche simply by existing" - We speak to trans male Only Fans star Trip Richards - Joe Hallas and Hannah Cooper
• The Ethical Stripper by Stacey Clare review — a remarkable insider account - Laura Hackett
• Porn has bigger problems than teenagers watching it - Sarah Manavis
• Bustle Survey Explores Sex Content Potential of Metaverse - Dave Parkman
• Sex Robots and VR Porn: Sex in the Future Looks Wild - Djanlissa Pringels
• Why aren’t more feminists fighting to decriminalise sex work? - Billie Walker