June is Pride Month in the United States and this past Sunday, June 2nd, was International Whores’ Day. Although it’s been discussed many times before, the deep connection between these issues is one that needs reiterating. Sex workers are no stranger to irony. Watching so-called allies of marginalized communities celebrating “inclusivity” and “intersectionality” while forgetting to unpack their rampant whorephobia. In 1969, the Stonewall Uprising marked the beginning of the U.S. LGBTQ+ rights movement. People often remind each other that Pride started out with riots, not parades, and that we have trans women of color to thank for leading the movement. “NO COPS AT PRIDE” is a phrase you might hear shouted by individuals who remember that the riots started because the police came to Stonewall Inn to antagonize and harass the queer and trans people who were there. What is often forgotten is that the targets of this harassment, and subsequently the leaders of this movement, were not just trans women of color. They were also sex workers.
Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera are often credited for starting the LGBTQ+ rights movement with the “Stonewall Rebellion”, following the police raid at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. These two women, as well as many of the well known trans and queer rights activists who were present at Stonewall, were sex workers. The “gay liberation” movement, as it was often referred to at the time, wasn’t always inclusive of the trans and gender non-conforming people who gave up so much to fight for gay rights. We still see this today with phrases like “LGB without the T” and “Gays Against Groomers” which seek to demonize and spread misinformation about the trans community, drag queens, and other queer and gender-non conforming identities. Even those who claim to be allies to the transgender community often struggle to let go of their whorephobia, despite the fact that very many trans people still rely on sex work as a means of survival.
The Supreme Court only ruled to protect LGBT+ individuals from employment discrimination in the year 2020. Even now, many states still have laws enabling employers to discriminate against certain groups by not requiring them to disclose why they choose to not hire, or even fire somebody. With no real regulations ensuring that gay and transgender workers have equal opportunities, visibly queer people continue to face a lot of discrimination while seeking employment. In the 2015 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, nearly 70% of the trans sex workers surveyed reported discrimination at work due to their gender identity. Because of this, trans people, and more specifically trans women of color, were found more likely to engage in sex work. The survey shows 11% of transgender Americans reported having participated in the sex trade. You can also see higher numbers for racial and ethnic minorities, which aligns with other findings that people of color experience higher levels of unemployment.
According to the HRC Foundation, LGBTQ+ people are more likely than non-LGBTQ+ people to be disabled. In a survey by HRC Foundation in 2020, 36% of LGBTQ+ adults reported having a disability, compared to 24% of non-LGBTQ+ adults. In the same survey, 52% of transgender adults reported having a disability. It of course goes without saying that individuals with a disability are less likely to have consistent employment. Many disabled people experience discrimination in the workplace and struggle to find employers who are willing to provide needed accommodations. We have already established that employers have ways of getting around anti-discrimination laws. Qualifying for government assistance is not always easy, especially if you have an invisible disability and struggle to get a diagnosis due to medical gaslighting. Plenty of people who do rely on government assistance for their disability say it’s still not enough to get by. Many disabled sex workers say that sex work allows them to work on their own terms, and for those strictly working virtually, the ability to work from the comfort of their home is a big deal. For marginalized people who succeed in this industry, sex work provides more freedom and financial prosperity than a traditional job ever could.
It is impossible to discuss the intersectionality between LGBTQ+ rights and sex workers’ rights without noticing the various other marginalized identities and the ways in which they overlap. The more you dig into the world of sex work and learn about who sex workers are and why they do this work, the harder it is to ignore the intersectionality. It becomes clear that one cannot be an ally to any marginalized group without recognizing the ways in which marginalization brings many people to sex work. Once you acknowledge that, you must then understand how fighting for the rights of sex workers is fighting for the rights of all marginalized people.
Support queer sex workers this Pride Month and always.
Charlie Flowers is a multimedia artist and content creator. All her links can be found on www.bio.site/pvnkcharlie
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