Women who sell or exchange sex and coronavirus

I would recommend sex workers around the world to take similar initiatives. This is the time to DEMAND full human status in our own right:
www.thesun.ie/news/5236562/coronavirus-ireland-sex-workers-financial-help-govt-ask/

@IONA
Of course you may if you wish, and I am not in the least uncomfortable with you doing so, but aren’t there already a couple of threads dedicated to that?

Of course you are not @GayeDalton. But fortunately we can talk about it all we like, even when it is uncomfortable for some people.

I can see why organisations that raise awareness of male violence, highlight the links between different forms and campaign for improvised services for women affected by them make you really really angry.

She was found to have defamed Rachel Moran

Oh so she’ll have no evidence about that FWR members dig

She’s just a defamer

Fair dos

@florafox
I am not at liberty to discuss that.

@ScarlettBlaize
I take it you hold the view that sex workers have less right to survival than others, as is your right.
I do not share your view, however at the point of writing it happens that I have contributed a sum of money to assist sex workers, and precisely 10 times as much to assist other self employed. I do not have infinite money.for anything.

@GayeDalton

I believe I have mentioned other self employed people more than once. I am fully aware of the difficulties they face for personal reasons.

But you're not promoting funds to make up for their lost income, are you.

@fckmmsnt

ScarlettBlaize it’s not an either/or is it?

Oh, do you have infinite money to donate, then?

Why do you think sex workers aren’t less deserving of support?

You honestly can't understand why I might be more willing to donate to support women who've trained as hairdressers, beauticians, musicians, actors, personal trainers, writers, than prostitutes?

I wouldn't waste any time engaging with GayeDalton about facts or evidence. She was found to have defamed Rachel Moran, an advocate for the Nordic model, by an Irish judge who said she had been confusing opinion with fact in her allegations that Rachel Moran lied about having been prostituted.

TheProdigalKittensReturn
Given how the thread has progressed I think Anna's initial post was less irritating than theBTW we're all going to die, the end times are upon us, woe and doom and also prostitution is just like cutting someone's hairbit

Indeed.

it’s not an either/or is it? Why do you think sex workers aren’t less deserving of support?

I'm afraid it is for me personally. All self employed or unemployed people deserve government support equally but personally if I have spare cash supporting prostitutes won't be how I spend it. Their punters can donate if they want.

@ScarlettBlaize it’s not an either/or is it? Why do you think sex workers aren’t less deserving of support?

@ScarlettBlaize
I believe I have mentioned other self employed people more than once. I am fully aware of the difficulties they face for personal reasons.

@GayeDalton
There are loads of small funds (nowhere near enough) but nobody will post them here for fear that some (certainly not all) of the posters here will see that as a green light to SPAM the relevant platforms with demands that the appeals be shut down, as has happened on a smaller scale in the past.

I work in the arts and my entire industry has collapsed. Like most of my colleagues I am self-employed. Many of my friends are also personal trainers or hairdressers/beauticians. Why on earth would I want to give my family's money to women who sell sex rather than women who work as artists, designers, personal trainers, hairdressers, youth leaders etc.?

Punters have donated to some of the sex worker led funds. But, as usual, most money to help sex workers comes from other sex workers. Same as a lot of industries where workers are suffering at the minute.

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett
Anna’s email is with www.womenssupportproject.org.uk/ which is part of the Umbrella group click.scot @fckmmsnt states that this is an NM group. As I have demonstrated, I know little or nothing about the specifics of Scots groups but, while click.scot seem neutral only Quay Services are not actively promoting the Nordic Model and all that goes with it.
However, Anna was only doing the right thing in this instance which is asking sex workers what they need most and highlighting the difficulties sex workers face in this crisis.
@TheInebriati There is absolutely no way anyone should ever want those who are in difficulties themselves to donate to others. Personally I would never initiate an appeal for help for sex workers on mumsnet.

Can we please be very, very clear about where the OP works? And to be fair, she mentions it twice in her OP. She works for https://www.click.scot, not any of the other organisations listed. Click is an online organisation which works for sex worker safety, though it is not without its controversies. And Click is indeed in receipt of £1m in tampon tax, although iirc some of that is going to partner orgs to provide direct services, eg counselling, under Click's umbrella.

Indeed. Why would one not direct one's fundraising efforts to the group being collected for's most loyal customers? Truly it is a mystery unto the ages, as deep and mysterious at the attempt to use hairdressing as an analogy for prostitution.

Ask the punters to donate.
Dont ask women who are already bearing the brunt of austerity and corona virus.

@IONA
Sex workers know a great deal more about their own best interests than anyone else ever will. If you want to donate money to help organisations work against them instead of helping them to survive this time, that is entirely your prerogative.

I have to agree that the only way to support sex workers is to donate to their own organisations. It is not reasonable to expect anyone to interact with organisations that are openly hostile and opposed to their stated wishes and best interests in order to access survival resource

Well yes I can see that you wish to encourage people to support pro “ sex work “ organisations, but not everyone here will agree with you that they are in “ the best interests” of women who are abused through prostitution .

@IONA & @fckmmsnt
Apologies, the error was mine...I went too far to Anna's branch www.womenssupportproject.org.uk/ and assumed that click.scot was some kind of poll site - I am not familiar with Scots projects at all.

I have to agree that the only way to support sex workers is to donate to their own organisations. It is not reasonable to expect anyone to interact with organisations that are openly hostile and opposed to their stated wishes and best interests in order to access survival resources.

The £1m is the overall funding for the click.scot project. www.heraldscotland.com/news/17535190.1m-backing-for-project-to-help-scotlands-1500-online-sex-workers/

Given how the thread has progressed I think Anna's initial post was less irritating than the BTW we're all going to die, the end times are upon us, woe and doom and also prostitution is just like cutting someone's hair bit.

So you randomly decided to make a MN account, and then post a volatile subject in FWR, instead of chat, or even bloody AIBU. Looking for a reaction were we @annaclick

If you want to support sex workers directly (I can agree that the OPs org is doing nothing despite having £1m in funding), plese donate directly to sex worker led orgs. SWARM and umbrella lane

Well according to the charities commission , the Ops org had an income of £173,000. So slightly less than 1 million

www.oscr.org.uk/about-charities/search-the-register/charity-details?number=21846

And I can see why their work might upset some people , as these are their aims

“The Women’s Support Project aims to raise awareness of the extent and effects of violence against women and children, and works to improve services for those affected by violence. Key themes in our work have been highlighting links between different forms of male violence and promoting an interagency response to the abuse of women and children. Our work is informed by a feminist analysis of male violence and an understanding of the links and overlaps between different forms of violence, discrimination and oppression”.

@inmyshedsmoking2000
Perhaps you should contact Adultwork.com and Vivastreet and encourage them to disable the messaging service for the men on there and the women offering sex? They could email the escorts to say they can only do cam work for the foreseeable.
A lot of people aren't going to like me saying this but I think that is a realistic step. A load of restaurants and theaters have had to close in the UK in the past 24 hours. A lot of people work in them too. We can't demand an end to the double standards that criminalise and stigmatise sex work with the same voice that demands concessions not permitted to any other entertainment industry. That is not real.

• and you know what? I would suggest the ability to transfer contact details on dating apps be disabled until this is over as well (as it often is for free users), it is one small step to slow down direct social contact, and that IS the priority now.