Women who sell or exchange sex and coronavirus

[AnnaClick]

Hi everyone. I’m Anna and I’m one of the people in Scotland working on the urgent task of making sure women involved in all parts of the sex industry or selling or exchanging sex are able to get access to support and information and financial help right now. We know this is a really difficult and scary time and we are urgently trying to get in touch with women. We need to hear what you need and what are the best ways to get that support and help to you. We also want to make sure that decision makers know this right now too. If you are involved then it would be great to hear from you, or if you know of someone then please pass on our info. I’m available at www.click.scot/voice/ or [email protected] I’ll also be on our online chat here www.click.scot/contact/ Tuesday 11-1 and Wednesday from 2-4pm. Our online support is also available every week day from 11am-3pm – you can check out twitter for up-to-date online support times @click_scotland Thanks.

@TheProdigalKittensReturn
My apologies, I assumed you meant Mumsnet is a "feminist forum" - this is the first time I have seen the new format and it took me an age to find the reference to "feminist chat" even after @AmericanAdventure pointed it out.

Adultwork have already messaged workers about moving to online work btw. From what I've heard from in person sex workers, there have been no clients for 2 weeks. All brothels and agencies have shut too. If you aren't demanding that dating apps are closing then I don't think you can demand that adultwork closes too

Well, now you know why we will not be dropping the feminist analysis. Not even if people whose chosen screennames are telling us all to f*ck off would really, really like us to.

@fckmmsnt
You must concede, though, that @AnnaClick is really breaking the Nordic Model mould by setting up a poll to ASK sex workers what their urgent needs are at this time here www.click.scot/voice/
That is quite a step forward, perhaps, one day, someone will ask sex workers what they think about the Nordic Model too?

I realize that this may come as a shock, but people can go on a date without shagging. Not that going on dates would be a good idea right now, for the same reasons that meeting up with your mates for a drink or going to your cousin's house for dinner would not be a good idea, but hey, we all know that's not what you meant.

@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.

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”.

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

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.

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/

@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.

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
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.

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

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.

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.

@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.

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.

@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.?

@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.

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

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.

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.

@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?

@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.