Language Matters : Talking About Sex Work 1
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04 LANGUAGE MATTERS : TALKING ABOUT SEX WORK 1. Introduction 2. Language Matters 3. Words that Matter THIS INFOSHEET IS PART OF A SERIES OF 5 PRODUCED BY STELLA IN COLLABORATION WITH ALLIES TO EDUCATE AND MOBILIZE COMMUNITIES AROUND LEGAL ADVOCACY AND DECRIMINALIZATION OF SEX WORK. 1. The Basics: Decriminalization of Sex Work 101 2. Sex Work and the Charter 3. Challenging Prostitution Laws: Bedford v. Canada 4. Language Matters: Talking About Sex Work 5.10 Ways to Be a Great Ally to Sex Workers 1 2 INTRODUCTION LANGUAGE MATTERS The way we talk about sex work is anything but This Info Sheet is a reflection on language that neutral – it communicates meaning and influences promotes a common goal for sex workers’ rights how people understand our work and create policy while simultaneously representing our diversity. It is about us. The words we use when speaking about also intended to help non-sex workers – who are sex work – whether in media or legal arguments, often contacted by media and lawmakers – think with our friends or in discussion with a stranger – about the impact of their language. matter. Language used to describe sex work and Sex workers and allies identified the importance of sex workers varies across and within sex working such a reflection at a September 2012 convening. communities – this speaks to differences in our As such, the following is not intended to be direc- histories, regional specificities and how we self- tive but rather to encourage a conversation about identify. language. Sex work and sex workers are often framed in very Language is linguistically and culturally specific simplistic and stereotypical ways that erase the and means different things when translated into complexity of our realities: good or bad, forced or other languages and used in other cultural con- chosen, glamorized or exploitative. When choos- texts. ing language to talk about sex work we are trying to balance self-identification, our desire to repre- sent our diversity and the importance of breaking through stereotypes and binary categories. When our choice of words differs from the beliefs and stereotypes that people have about us, people are quick to discredit us. So, how and when we use language depends on who we are talking to. Within sex working com- munities we honour the language each of us uses to self-identify. We may, however, publicly reject or strategically choose other language to describe ourselves, because language can also divide and support public misconceptions of sex workers. Published in April 2013 1 3 WORDS THAT MATTER The following words and phrases – presented temic factors or personal circumstances in- tween good and bad working conditions; alphabetically – are just a few commonly cluding poverty, homelessness, drug use and while sex workers can consent to work we used to talk about sex work. mental health. That being said, people exer- can still experience unsafe labour situations. ............................................................. cise agency when making decisions along So, we may consent to working in sex work, these spectrums. There is a difference be- but not consent to the working conditions, ABOLITIONISTS tween youth who exercise agency to earn in- which we try to improve with a focus on evi- Some feminists refer to themselves as abo- come through sex work and the commercial dence based human rights advocacy. The is- litionists or neo-abolitionists. Abolitionists sexual exploitation of youth. In other words, sue of consent for people who work in sex believe that prostitution is inherently ex- child sexual abuse is not the same as youth work is around agreements for services and ploitative, violent and akin to slavery. In sex work. conditions of work. ............................................................. this framing all sex workers are victims. The age at which people are comfortable ............................................................. These feminists seek to eliminate prostitution with youth in the sex industry differs based WOMEN AND GIRLS through various regulations and prohibitions on our experiences. Some view anyone un- including a legislative model they call “end der 18 working in the industry as exploita- Merging the experiences of women and demand”. tion. Some of us began sex working in our girls is a tendency in different social move- The term abolition is associated with 18th teens, while some of us started earning an ments, and common when some people and 19th century movements to abolish income through sex work in our 20s, 30s speak about sex workers. This has the effect slavery. Not only do sex workers not see our or beyond. Regardless of our comfort level of infantilizing the experiences of women. work as akin to slavery but using this term with different age groups in the sex industry, This phrase is often employed as an emo- minimizes and trivializes the experiences of criminalization is not an effective response tional trigger that plays on the stereotypes those who have (and do) endure slavery. to youth in sex work. of young girls in prostitution. It also invisibi- lizes the experiences of girls by suggesting Often confusion around youth in the sex in- there is a shared experience with women. Other terms used for the abolitionist posi- dustry arises because of there is no agree- Similar to other words that communities have tion are : radical feminists, fundamentalist ment on the definition of youth. There are reclaimed in empowering ways, sex workers feminists or second wave feminists. These many laws in different legal domains (e.g., may refer to the girls as shorthand for work- terms may be alienating for the many sex labour, criminal, civil – housing and employ- ing girls. However, used by people outside workers and sex worker allies who consider ment) that refer to people having different of our community this term can have nega- themselves feminists but reject the abolitionist rights depending on their age. The rights tive connotations. position. and definitions of youth and minors vary ............................................................. Many sex workers use the term prohibitionist across these laws. Social service definitions feminists, anti-sex work or anti-sex workers’ can refer to youth as anyone up to 25 years RACIALIZED SEX WORKERS, INCLUDING rights feminists to better reflect the abolitionist old. The ambiguity and lack of harmoniza- INDIGENOUS SEX WORKERS position. The term prohibitionist highlights tion amongst these definitions can cause While sex work refers to a large range of support for the use of criminal laws to confusion. people doing a wide variety of work, it is prohibit behaviours seen as immoral or Criminalization and stigma around youth sometimes important for us to set apart our dangerous to society. Anti-sex work feminists sex work, and the conflation of youth and different experiences to emphasize how in- draws attention to the agenda of this group work children, limit the ability of youth sex ers tersecting realities position us vis-à-vis the – the abolition of prostitution rather than the to access tools that are needed for safer law, clients, working conditions, etc. More promotion of human and labour rights of sex living and working conditions. specifically in aN orth American context, the workers. ............................................................. experiences of Indigenous sex workers are ............................................................. ............................................................. important to highlight – Indigenous sex work- CONSENSUAL OR ers are at greater risk of criminalization. The ADULT SEX WORK, FORCED SEX WORK YOUTH SEX WORK, disproportionate criminalization of Indig- AND COMMERCIAL SEXUAL Similarly to adult sex work, people may use enous peoples is the outcome of multiple fac- EXPLOITATION OF YOUTH the phrase consensual sex work to distin- tors, including deep-seated racism, discrimi- guish it from forced sex work and to calm nation, over-policing, and colonization. Some people do not distinguish between the fears of the public who are concerned Some people use the phrase Indigenous and youth sex work and commercial sexual ex- about decriminalizing non-consensual activ- other racialized sex workers to describe ploitation of youth. Others refer to adult sex ity. Where people do not consent to provid- sex workers who are racialized. Some sex work to distance it both from youth sex work ing sexual services for money, this is abuse workers of colour, or racialized sex workers, and from notions of exploitation, two things or assault, not work. express concern about this phrase because it that are often seen as synonymous. Specify- Further, the term consensual evokes its op- appears to create a hierarchy of oppressions. ing adult sex work, and simultaneously refer- posite – forced, and risks creating a division While racialized communities have different ring to all youth sex work as exploitation, between sex workers who are categorized experiences of the criminalization of sex ignores the complexity of our realities. by the public as consenting or forced, which work and the sex industry in general, the term The decision to earn income through sex encourages the perspective that certain sex other tagged onto racialized sex workers work is made along a spectrum of options, workers should be blamed while others tends to homogenize those differences. The regardless of a person’s age. Some people’s should be saved. phrase people of colour also maintains an spectrums