Representatives of Maggie’s, an activist group for sex workers, tell York students why sex work needs to be legitimized
On Tuesday, January 29, a diverse crowd that included York students, York Federation of Students representatives, activists, community members, and sex workers gathered in a Curtis lecture hall to discuss issues faced by sex workers.
The event was organized by Sexual Assault Survivors’ Support Line and involved guest speakers from Maggie’s: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project, an organization that provides support to sex workers and lobbies for their rights. The purpose of the event was to discuss the case for decriminalizing sex work in Canada, and to raise awareness of discrimination faced by sex workers.
Keisha Scott and Lux, Maggie’s volunteers, moderated the discussion, beginning the talk by addressing commonly held misconceptions about sex workers, like the notion that all prostitutes are physically damaged individuals who are forced into the trade.
Scott gave the audience a brief overview of the laws surrounding prostitution in Canada. She said although the act of prostitution itself is legal, the activities required to carry it out are not yet decriminalized.
“The communication of sex work in exchange for money, along with the use of bawdy houses, is illegal,” said Scott. “There’s also the procuring law that makes it illegal for anyone to live off a sex worker’s money.”
According to Maggie’s, such laws infringe on the worker’s labour rights by not allowing them to work in safe, clean areas. Scott emphasized that people fail to see sex work as being a legitimate form of labour, saying, “It’s 95 per cent mental and emotional labour, and five per cent physical labour.”
Scott says harsh laws, along with an absence of adequate security, contribute to the oppression and mistreatment of sex workers because they deny them the autonomy to use their bodies in the ways they desire.
Scott and Lux also introduced the concept of “whore-o-phobia,” a label that ignores not only sex workers, but also to other women, as weak and inferior beings who cannot care for themselves.
Scott says, “[these] labels have resulted in creating a division between ‘good girl’ and ‘bad girl,’ and act as a way to control women and chastise them about [their] reputation.”
Both speakers viewed “whore-o-phobia” as a form of discrimination within Western cultures, arguing that labeling creates the notion that some women are superior to others based on their clothing and activities.
This notion, they say, allows society to place the blame on the victims of sexual assault, rather than the perpetrators.
Lux says “whore-o-phobia” needs to be eradicated through the legalization of sex work because being in the sex trade is “a viable and economical decision that helps [sex workers] survive in the capitalist economy.”
During the event, participants engaged in impassioned debate on the issues presented, and their diverse backgrounds contributed unique perspectives. Many attendants finished the workshop actively agreeing that legal reform is necessary.
Rameeza Ahmed, Staff Writer
