By Titania Kumeh
Asked if he’s ever felt exploited as a sex worker, Will Rockwell—the 24-year-old editor-in-chief of the sex worker-operated magazine $pread—replies, "Yes, by the media. Every interview we do is twisted for the purposes of sensationalistic propaganda, whether it's the conservative New York Post jerking itself off over the Spitzer scandal or Ms. Magazine fantasizing about female victimhood and applying it in broad strokes to people they never really cared to know, and certainly never offered a helping hand free of judgment and surveillance." He says the sensationalist and often stereotype-ridden depictions of sex workers—prostitutes, exotic dancers, dominatrices, phone-sex operators, and people who engage in informal forms of transactional sex—by media outlets sparked the 2005 creation of $pread, the country’s only magazine developed by and for sex workers.

SWAN News: How do American sex workers feel about the US prostitution policy abroad?
The sex worker activists I have worked with are angry, sad and disempowered by the [anti-prostitution] Pledge, the devastating impact this has on the lives of sex workers around the world and the ways this has effected our communities, rendering us estranged from broader liberal/left communities.

1. What is the “Anti-Prostitution Pledge”?
The ‘Anti-Prostitution Pledge’ is the name given to an American policy put into place in under George Bush. Since 2003, any groups receiving money for anti-trafficking or HIV programs have to have a policy opposing prostitution. This affects groups all around the world who receive money from the American government and work with sex workers – even if they are receiving US money for something other than their work with sex workers.

(including material from http://www.pepfarwatch.org/)
by Carol Leigh
Trafficking Policy Research Project

The development of this policy demonstrates the way the US exports repressive ideologies through conditions set for foreign aid recipients.

New approaches can be invaluable in sensitizing a hostile public or achieving a shift in the tone of the media coverage of sex workers.

Advocacy is defined by the International Advocacy Campaign as “taking action to help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests and obtain the services they need.” While this may seem like it requires special skills or talent, the truth is that most of us have some advocacy experience from our daily lives. As parents, friends, family members, citizens, employers and employees, whether we do it for ourselves or on behalf of others, we have all made use of advocacy at one time or another.

There are many people in society who are ignored and have difficulty in gaining the attention that is needed to make sure their views and opinions are listened to and acted upon. This leads to them being marginalized and socially excluded. Advocacy is a safeguard for people who are socially marginal, discriminated against or otherwise ignored against even further social or political isolation. Through an advocate, advocacy provides the means to redress a social imbalance of power by providing a mixture of: support; indicating how events are likely to develop and providing advice on what course of action should be taken; providing links to other services; sharing information and knowledge to support decision making; and being a ‘voice’ to ensure that people’s rights and opinions are respected. Advocacy also helps people to: develop confidence and assertiveness to express satisfaction or dissatisfaction; become empowered, find strength in numbers and to actively engage in the political, social and economic spheres of their communities.

Advocacy is guided by the principle that every person should be valued, and ensures that people are not ignored and excluded because of the prejudices they face, that lead to lack of respect from others.Advocacy places the person in the centre of its aims and goals, while holding to the principle that everyone has the right to be respected, listened to and involved in the decision-making process, especially on issues that affect their lives. Because it focuses on helping people be heard and getting what they need, advocacy is closely associated with the principles of social justice, civil and human rights.

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Non violent action is any technique of action used to apply pressure or using power without resorting to violence. Non violence is hardly passive, inaction or submission. It is simply any action that does not involve violence. Non violent action many involve:

Acts of omission—that is, people may refuse to perform acts that they usually perform, are expected by custom to perform, or are required by law or regulation to perform;

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Gandhi’s introduction into advocacy and non violent action came when he was contracted as a lawyer to work in South Africa. In 1893, on the night of his arrival to South Africa, Gandhi was ejected from a train for repeatedly refusing to leave the first-class compartment when white passengers objected to his presence.

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Ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things. Rosa Parks was a secretary, Ghandi was a lawyer, Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor, Aurelia Browder was a seamstress, and Claudette Colvin was a student. Some like Jackie Robinson, who was already a distinguished athlete, were in the public eye, but many of the contributors to the fight for social justice, civil and human rights are not widely known. This does not make their contributions to causes or movements any less important. Think of the nameless faceless people who fought segregation in the United States for almost a century.