Today, December 17, is the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers. Sex workers and their allies will gather, in person or on Zoom, to honor the memory of those persons who have been killed in the past year while engaging in sex work.

Sex workers are assaulted, raped, and killed, and the social stigma and sexual shame in our society prevents them from attaining help. They are face abuse from clients, pimps, police, and the courts, as if they meant nothing. Transwomen of color are particularly vulnerable. December 17 is a day to honor their memories, to gather in tribute, and to hold conferences and artistic events around sex work.

Sex workers, like all workers, are organizing for their rights, including for the decriminalization of consensual sex work. They’re also calling for the repeal of such laws as FOSTA-SESTA, which don’t fight against sex trafficking, but they really drive sex work further underground.

I am an ally of sex workers, and I agree that sex workers, like all workers, must organize for their rights, and for their seat at the table where laws are debated n the subject.