Discovering self proclaimed allies are really only interested in the “philanthropic” or “edgy” street cred they receive from their civilian friends for hangin with SW’ers but not truly invested in what it takes to back us up.
Facebook, Tumblr, probably Instagram next AND nearly every other self proclaimed *woke* company & person doing their part to “fight” sex trafficking-
Yet completely missing the mark
AND
Actually contributing to the problem by ignoring the voices of consenting workers, lumping coerced and consenting work/workers into one category (which increases stigma) and oh yeah, CENSORING US-
to name a few.
Indignantly feeling like we have to choose between celebrating our work/showcasing our pride
OR
Talking about the serious issues we face, because god forbid we are dynamic and complex..
GOD FORBID we are as equally joyous about our jobs as we are scared, infuriated and heartbroken by our lack of (or nonexistent) rights & protection, not to mention all the shit that goes on in the world against us..
GOD FORBID all of these complex feelings about our work coexist aloud (gasp), Without fear that we’re perpetuating “negativity” because we are all, rightfully, so fucking over defending our existence.
Because the popular narrative is always a sob story
and
We need people to know that we do our jobs for whatever fucking reason WE choose to do them..
I know I can’t be the only one feeling this...end rant.
Thank you for listening. -Xxo, Val