Media Storm presented by Mathilda Mallinson and Helena Wadia.Warning: Some strong language and references to sexOnline or offline, the stigma that comes with being a sex worker is pervasive. But sex work is not just stigmatised – it’s criminalised. Laws that ban certain aspects of sex work force workers into unsafe, unregulated environments, where they […]
Sex work is a profession that is consistently under threat—workers are judged, shamed, harassed and criminalised. However, sex workers have had a particularly rough time of it during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike others who were able to continue to work remotely or granted furlough when the former was not a possibility, sex workers received no governmental support. […]
“I do not think sex work is ever just about the sex”Lucy gives us a very warm welcome into her home and one of the first things she does is offer us a cup of tea, having a plate with biscuits on the coffee table.With a lovely big smile, the young woman seems relaxed straight […]
Placards from the ‘Save our Strip Clubs’ march, Sheffield, June 2019 It was October 2018 and I was 23 years old. I had just started my Master’s course at the University of Sheffield, quickly learning that the loans available to postgraduate students are barely a fraction of what I was used to as an undergrad. […]
A union has said it will seek “legal remedies” following a sting operation by anti-strip club campaigners linked to the Women’s Equality party (WEP).In recent months, the anti-strip club campaign Not Buying It has paid male private investigators, including two former police officers, to pose as customers in strip clubs in Sheffield and Manchester with […]
April 7, 2019 You report that the Not Buying It group is paying men to spy on strippers at Spearmint Rhino, to catch them breaking the no-touching rule (“Sting at strip club lays bare feminist split over sex work”, News, last week). This surveillance, aimed at closing down strip clubs and depriving women workers of […]
by Sophie HemeryCarried from the Bank of England to London’s Piccadilly Circus by drizzle, pop music and smoke grenades, 2019’s Women’s Strike march culminated in a performance by strippers demanding the full decriminalisation of sex work. Thousands of people danced with them, marking the end of an International Women’s Day (IWD) event that had sex workers at the […]
After years of being seen as victims, is feminist activism finally centring one of the most marginalised groups?Stacey Clare International Women’s Day is growing more powerful each year, as women take to the streets all over the world to decry oppression and demand safety and respect. However, the feminist movement has a chequered history when it comes […]
21 February, 2019HOW can the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) justify campaigning to close strip clubs without saying how women, deprived of this source of income, should support themselves and their families? (Campaigners fight on against lap-dancing clubs but The Griffin secures new licence, February 15).The WEP says about stripping that: “Degradation of women is the business […]
What the loss of Britain’s oldest strip club could mean for women’s rights Campaigners who want to shut down strip clubs are missing the point Text Stacey Clare The Windmill Theatre in Soho, Britain’s oldest strip club famed for its glamorous past has lost its Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) license, pending appeal. In a sting […]