Here were some of the conference highlights:

AWARDS!! PRIZES!!!
The Asia-Pacific Network of Sex Workers was awarded the prestigious AIDS Action Award by Human Rights Watch and the Canadian HIV Legal Network for their important campaigns with Cambodian sex workers against police raids and violence in so-called “rehabilitation” centers for sex workers.

UNDP awarded the Red Ribbon Award to the Sex Workers’ Network of Madagascar and it was accepted by trans sex worker activist Balou. The sex workers’ network in Madagascar among other things, have organized sex workers in networks. When one sex worker is arrested, they all contact each other on cell phones and go protest together at the police station until she is released.

Thai sex worker group Empower was a finalist for the Red Ribbon Award. Sadly, part-way through their moving and powerful speech about the toll that HIV had taken on sex workers in Thailand and the resilience they have shown… they were cut short and asked to leave the stage so that some hoity-toity politician could speak. How disrespectful! Boo to that! and congratulations to Empower!

SEX WORKER PRE-CONFERENCE
Over 170 sex workers gathered to be part of a pre-conference. It was so exciting to see such a strong presence of trans sex workers from all across Latin America, from India, Korea and Cambodia. It was also exciting to meet new and terrific activists, like a male sex worker from Jamaica who is fighting not just stigma against sex work but the violent homophobia where he lives. Sex workers talked about issues that are common all over the world: uninvestigated violence against sex workers and problems with police. As well as others like: forced HIV testing of sex workers all across Latin America and difficulties opening bank accounts in Jamaica.

MARCH AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA, STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION
We were about 300 sex workers in this long march that was mostly a gay mens’ march. About two hundred of the sex workers were from La Merced or Sullivan, two downtown areas in Mexico City where prostitution is tolerated. Many of the Mexican sex workers wore masks… but not all. And all of us wore pink t-shirts that said “We are part of the solution not the problem!” Sex workers from Merced had signs denouncing problems they had with local government exploiting or controlling where they could work.

One of the women I marched with told me, that the government-controlled areas were quite safe and allowed them to work during the day-time. Sex work clothing was usually tight jeans, tight tops and running shoes when they work. Since about 1999, they have to have a card to work there though that shows that they have tested negative for HIV and STIs (they get tested every three months by the government clinics). Without that card—or if they work outside of the zone---they get arrested. One of the really neat things in Mexico was that marching with us were sex workers in their 50s and 60s who were still able to make a pretty good income as sex workers.

PANELS, SPEECHES & BOOTHS
There were a lot of presentations in the conference on sex work issues. Many by terrific sex work activists. The presentation based on SWAN’s survey got rave reviews! Although Aliya (Rakhmetova, SWAN Coordinator) was sorely missed, Irina was present with me at the human rights panel where it was presented. It went great and I made sure to encourage every one to sign up for SWAN News!

Elena Reynaga, a sex worker from Argentina that has helped organize thousands of sex workers as members of the Central of Argentine Workers, a labor union, gave a plenary speech that we co-wrote together. She gave an emotional and forceful presentation and got a standing ovation at the end. My friend Pascale was sitting next to the Mayor of a town in Benin in Africa, and he was crying at the end of the speech vowing to defend the sex workers of his town! How cool is that!

There was a panel just on sex work issues that drove home the message that the current very anti-prostitution Draft Guidance Note on Sex Work and HIV from UNAIDS is totally unacceptable and an embarrassment to UNAIDS.

FASHION SHOWS, GAME SHOWS AND UKELELES
About 40 sex workers - women, trans women and men - were recruited to be in the big fashion show by DASPU, a fashion label by Davida, the Brazilian sex worker group. We were all very excited because the fashion show had even been announced on CNN. They had a professional team of make-up artists and stylists preparing us. Irina looked amazing and futuristic. As for me, I tried to walk with enough confidence to match my hair---which was hair-sprayed until it was HUMONGOUS!

The fashion show was so exciting. Sex workers of every different shape and color imaginable paraded sexily on the stage. It was a really great show of our diversity, of our pride and of our sexiness. At the end, we all danced on stage and up at the front there were four men screaming and cheering for all the sex workers, jumping up and down with a big Brazilian flag. When I asked who they were, it turns out they were all members of the Brazilian Ministry of Health! I wish our ministry of health was that amazing!

Empower from Thailand did a great play about condom use---meant to teach clients and everyone else about using condoms. They also showed a great new inter-active, life-sized board game to teach people about sex workers’ working conditions and rights. Players are divided into teams which are each a bar (I was on the “Sexy Bar” Team), each with a mama, clients and sex workers. Then there are also people who play the police, pharmacists, hotel owners, private clinic, anti-sex work rescue NGO and the banker. You roll the dice, walk on the large board and start watching the money move between everyone’s hands. It is really FUN and informative about how much sex workers support whole economies and how many issues sex workers face that have nothing to do with sex (ie. hearing loss from loud bar music, breaking a leg from poorly maintained hotels,…). Did I mention the game comes with costumes and props to make sure everyone gets into their roles? My favorite part was watching Lek, a very, very petite sex worker from Thailand dressed up as a cop with a big mustache keep on harassing our “mama” (played excellently with a feather boa, wig and sunglasses by Darby from the United States) for more money. My second favorite part was watching Susan Lopez from the U.S. who played a sex worker working for the “Happy Bar” get excited when she pulled a card announcing that she received a 1000$ bonus because her client had been a virgin and was very grateful for her assistance !

And finally, it all ended with a sex worker party with traditional Mexican music where everyone danced the night away to the music of guitars and ukeleles!