I used to woman the desk at a tattoo studio, and guys (it was always guys) would come in and show off their terrible kitchen-wizard tattoos. “It was free! My friend did it!” No shit. Everyone can tell.

Then again, I have a free tattoo that I love. My best friend has anti-capitalist leanings, and likes to barter…

My ex had a remarkably tiny forehead (we called it a “threehead” instead of a “fivehead”), and bangs made her face look more proportionate. I’m just such an oily grease-monster that bangs never look clean on me if it’s been more than 4 hours since I showered.

Haha, my aunt is Jennifer Lynn. It was a thing!

There have been studies. They have tended to involve women who already drink daily and are unwilling or unable to quit. The weakness is that they tend to rely on self-reporting, which skews results.

This is it exactly. They aren’t sure how much alcohol consumption is problematic, even though “a small amount” obviously isn’t harmful, so they say “none” because that’s the safest bet.

A family friend found out she was pregnant after a night of heavy drinking and remained convinced her entire pregnancy that her child…

I can’t take credit. I’ve heard that term used for a long time. There’s just a certain kind of guy with a saviour complex that pops up all the damn time, and sex workers get pretty good at learning what we need to say to keep them spending.

My needs were not met. People engage in sex work because they require the money, they require the flexibility in hours, they have a criminal record, they can’t work legally, or they are being forced by criminal elements. All prostitution is coerced in the sense that all labour is coerced. There are exceptions in the…

I know two grandmothers in their 60s who are still successful. It’s not for everyone, but it’s not like you’re out on your ass at 30.

I’m a sex worker currently paying for grad studies as I don’t want to have to deal with the stigma of the work I get older. I know several law students who are in the trade and a ton of undergrads. I also know someone who paid for rehab and has stayed clean after 9 years of opiate addiction. Sex work pays for…

Making purchase of sex illegal still brings us into contact with police, who, honestly, have assaulted more workers I know than clients. It puts many women at risk for deportation, arrest for drug possession, causes us to be rejected for jobs when interactions with police come up on record checks despite not being…

Please, tell me more about myself! C’mon, dude. That’s ridiculous. I’ve been a sex worker for years, currently work with 40 other women, have worked/volunteered with many more over my time in the business, and they are no more fucked up than retail workers. Substance abuse, psychological issues, and past abuse can be…

Are you a sex worker? How many sex workers do you know, personally?

Please. Tell me more about how I’ve been coerced.

Except that there are plenty of us who are consenting, happily or not, and are constantly denied a voice when it comes to laws and policies that affect our safety because public perception conflates trafficking and sex work. It’s assumed that we don’t exist/are the minority, and anti-trafficking organizations ally…

I do it often. I’ve been working face-to-face for two years now and have never not gotten paid. Guys forget their money or “forget” their money, but I threaten to call the cops (jokes on them, I won’t deal with police over a little $), give them bitch face, and tap my nails on the wall, and mysteriously I always get…

I dunno, man. I had a client try to take off a condom without me knowing, and that definitely felt like an attempted assault as it could have health consequences that I hadn’t agreed to risking. When someone has tried to get away with not paying up, it felt like someone trying to rob me. My work is work. It’s like if…

No. That’s stealing from me, not rape. Someone tried to stiff me once, so I got between him and the door, demanded he hand over his wallet or I’d call the cops, then took out his ID. I told him he could have it back when he brought the money. He brought it, I texted a photo of his face (but not his name) to every…

I hold in my farts in front of clients because they are paying me to be a fantasy babe, but if I’m dating someone, they need to be cool with farts or it won’t work out. Dairy, many grains, legumes, and raw fruits and veggies trigger my IBS big time, so love me, love (or at least tolerate) my farts! Sometimes when I…

If a woman feels like sex work is her only option, how is taking that option away from her helpful? If this was her Plan C, you probably don’t want to know about Plan D.

1. Then ally with us to sight stigma.
2. Because women who choose sex work must be “damaged” and are bad mothers who risk their children’s safety? Pretty sure a lot of people have been sexually abused in every industry you can name.
3. It’s sad that anyone has to do a job that they don’t enjoy to survive. For some it’s…