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04 LANGUAGE MATTERS : TALKING ABOUT 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 around legal advocacy and of . 1. The Basics: Decriminalization of Sex Work 101 2. Sex Work and the Charter 3. Challenging Laws: Bedford v. 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- , 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 , , drug use and while sex workers can 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 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 is not the same as youth work is around agreements for services and ploitative, violent and akin to . 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 differs based Women and through various and 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 , This phrase is often employed as an emo- minimizes and trivializes the experiences of 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 allies who consider ment) that refer to people having different of our 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 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 around youth sometimes important for us to set apart our dangerous to . 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 , 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 , 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 are more limited than others and incorrect belief that “race” and are Another unintended consequence of this youth, like others, confront numerous sys- only determined by the tone of ones skin. phrase is that it obscures the difference be- Published in April 2013 2 The set of experiences around oppression ent but whose intent is to inflict harm and in how the public perceives prostitutes and are felt very differently across communities who may target sex workers. The failure of prostitution rather than an inherent shame in of racialized sex workers. We need to find police to address violence against sex work- the word itself. ways to speak to the various realities without ers lends to the idea that violence against Some sex workers also embrace the term overshadowing others. sex workers will not be addressed. Sex work- sex professional. Like sex work, this term ers are targets for such predatory violence The phrase racialized sex workers, including highlights and legitimizes the labour context because of the conditions of our work – Indigenous sex workers is used to promote of sex work. Other sex workers find this term namely, criminalization that limits our capac- solidarity while still recognizing difference. alienating because the term professional ity to work safely and without being targets This phrase acknowledges the particular can imply a level of accreditation that is not for law enforcement. oppressions that Indigenous sex workers ex- afforded to criminalized work. It can also perience in a Canadian context, but does Bad clients are people who are disrespectful, insert a classist to the work — some not minimize the experiences of racialized for example timewasters or no shows. These workers are seen as professional while others communities. are also clients who don’t respect sex workers’ are not. Not all sex workers have access to ...... limits or follow the terms of their agreement. the mechanisms that professionalize their The boundary between a bad and an work, and many work under precarious Johns and Clients aggressor is crossed when there is violence. conditions. Some people call patrons of sex workers Aggressors are people who initially relate ...... johns, while others call them clients. The term to a sex worker as a client but with whom john is a historical term that holds meaning situational violence occurs. At this point they Prostituted women for sex workers but is often used pejoratively are no longer merely a bad client, but an The gendered term prostituted women is by others – it’s a nameless, generic and de- aggressor. humanizing word used to refer to a homog- sometimes used to refer to sex workers. This enous group of men, and does not represent These distinctions are important so that terms denies the agency of sex workers by the individuality and diversity of our clients. people understand the contexts in which vio- suggesting that prostitution is something The term also makes invisible the relation- lence against sex workers happen, and the done to us. Many sex workers consider this ships between sex workers and those who precarious legislative conditions in which we framing and language around prostitution or purchase our services – that of customers work. Although we can be subjected to vio- sex work as disrespectful, alienating and in- and service providers. By contrast the term lence at work, it is not our work it itself that is visibilizing of our realities. clients is not only more respectful and accu- violent. These distinctions also highlight that ...... rate it also reinforces the labour context of not all clients are disrespectful, aggressive Work/Sex Workers sex work. or violent...... Some communities use survival sex work to refer to sex workers who – due to numerous Prostitute, Pimps systemic factors or personal circumstances Sex Worker of poverty, homelessness, drug use and In the media and public discourse, the and Sex Professional word pimp brings to mind very gendered, mental health – have extremely restricted racialized and classed images. It is often American sex worker and activist Carol options and as a result work in dangerous used to refer to an exploitative male, most Leigh coined the term sex work in the 1970s. circumstances. The term survival sex work often racialized – and in particular black – While before this the term working girls was has become analogous to street work and and involved in street life. In anti-sex work popular amongst workers, creation of the “difficult circumstances.” However, some feminist literature and government responses term sex work was a deliberate to high earning sex workers on the street in Bedford v. Canada, the word pimp is unite sex workers of all and sec- and those working indoors also consider consistently used to categorize and limit tors of work, and to highlight the work, or themselves survival sex workers. While it people with a diversity of personal and labour, that sex workers are doing. The term is true that people do all kinds of work to professional relationships. The term “pimp” sex work is liberation from the deep-rooted survive, they are doing it to survive within the does not recognize the range of third party negative and legalistic term prostitute. context of systemic constraints that exist on a continuum of power and privilege. Systemic roles, the services they provide nor the Some of us call ourselves prostitutes, but issues, such as poverty and homelessness, relationships they have with sex workers. recognize its negative connotations when should be contested – not sex work itself. See Third Parties. outsiders use it. People use the word prostitute ...... in different contexts: to refer to legislation While it’s important to recognize and where word prostitute is written into law; to honour all sex workers, dividing sex workers Predators, Perpetrators, refer to sex work that involves intercourse into categories legitimizes the decisions of Aggressors and Bad Clients with clients; to refer to ; to some sex workers and not others. Some sex Different terminology is used by sex working refer to debasing oneself, not necessarily workers who are labeled as survival sex communities to distinguish the people who in a sexual context; and to refer to history workers feel the way the term is currently violate sex workers. when the word prostitute was used with used makes it seem like they are not strong pride. How and when we use these terms or not capable of making the best decisions The words predators and perpetrators are will differ depending on our audience. Sex for themselves. used for individuals who may pose as a cli- workers’ rejection of the term is often based ...... Published in April 2013 3 Open of series This guages uponrequest, butnotsold.W InfoSheet is available in Marie-Claudeharlebois& Elitza Koroueva Project Coordinator:Jennlamen tawa, Gatineau,W author and donotnecessarily reflectthe official position of thefoundations. Toronto(Maggie’s cation V W Kara Educate andResist,POWER),Anna-udeCaouette(Stella),Jennlamen Stella), iolence (SWUAViolence ), iig and riting Gillies, Society Society, Research: mes f the of Members heets is made possible thanks to the financial support of the of support financial the to thanks possible made is InfoSheets ). The opinions expressed here are those of the of those are here expressed opinions The (OSF ). Foundations PACEÉmilie ), Sex ork, EducateandResist,POWER) Sheri let o poiig . providing or clients maintaining and booking driving, vertising, ad- for its whether – party third a with ship relation- working a have workers sex Most worker.sex a with relationship work-related parties – in other words, a person who has a “pimping laws”. 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Canada. to re- to vulnerable V Drop-in 514.285.8889 Office 514.285.1599 H2K 3T1 Montréal QC suite404 2065 rueParthenais, ulnerability Charter 4 Published in April 2013