[SWAF-Potluck] I apologize...

[Bowen, Raven]

To resist outsider representation, some sex workers are research participants and advisors; some set policy, create and enforce guidelines to establish how researchers can ethically engage with organizations and industry professionals; and some become researchers to create a sea change from the inside.
Raven

On Apr 3, 2014 2:42 PM, Esther Shannon <emls at shaw.ca> wrote:
Apology much appreciated, Andrew.

Esther

On 2014-04-03, at 10:24 AM, Andy Sorfleet <a.sorfleet at gmail.com> wrote:

> I want to say I am sorry for responding in haste to posts from several
> list subscribers (Raven, Susan, Esther) yesterday. I realize now that
> I am somewhat emotional about this issue and I was obviously having
> difficulty expressing myself. I should have taken more time to
> consider my words.
>
> We could argue endlessly about the merits of the conclusions drawn by
> researchers. I know that I cannot make definitive statements about
> data which I have not had access to. And, perhaps such a debate was
> not appropriate for this forum which is about sex workers and friends
> and eating!
>
> One point I will not compromise, however, is that statements that
> suggest sex workers make poor decisions regarding clients and unsafe
> sex -- regardless if they are true or not -- promote a very
> well-entrenched stigma. And I find myself extremely insulted when
> research makes such claims.
>
> I worked as a male prostitute for over a decade during the AIDS crisis
> -- over three of those years included work on the street. HIV research
> through that time consistently scapegoated male prostitutes for the
> spread of AIDS into the heterosexual family. When you make claims that
> sex workers fail to negotiate safe sex, you are saying that we don't
> care for our clients. We don't care for ourselves, and we don't care
> about our community.
>
> I think it is important and healthy for sex workers to discuss such
> issues among themselves. However, when you distribute this letter with
> such a statement, you are asking powerful people to endorse that
> statement and present it to the highest authority.
>
> Powerful public statements which suggest that sex workers exercise
> poor judgement, call into question sex workers judgement and ability
> to negotiate. This undermines sex workers' attempts to define and
> direct their own industry and working conditions. Instead, the
> government will look to researchers to determine workplace
> regulations.
>
> Sex workers do not need researchers to represent their interests. And,
> it is not in sex workers' best interest to allow others to represent
> them. Sex workers can and will represent their interests for
> themselves. This is the only way that we can fight the age-old stigmas
> associated with prostitution -- including that we are vectors of
> disease.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Andrew
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> SWAF-Potluck at lists.resist.ca
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