Emerald's Blog, page 10

Happy International Sex Worker Rights Day 2014

Today, March 3, is International Sex Worker Rights Day. I interpret this as a day to educate about, support, and advocate for the rights of sex workers everywhere. I have blogged about this day here at The Green Light District since 2010, when I first learned of it.* This year, as I did in when I first blogged about it 2010, I’m going to offer a small roundup of pieces that, to me, celebrate the progression of sex worker rights and sex worker rights awareness in the last year. (Some of these will have appeared in Recommended Reading.)

Before I do, I’d like to comment briefly on one thing I haven’t covered a lot in my posts here about sex work. That is the idea of the “Swedish model,” or criminalizing the purchase of sexual services rather than the actual act of selling them (i.e., criminalizing the client instead of the practitioner).

I’d like to ask anyone reading this and/or who supports such legislation to imagine the purchase’s of the service or product you sell in order to make a living being criminalized. Not the service itself—you go on about your merry way making a living selling it—only the purchase of it. That way they’re taking it easy on you, right? They won’t criminalize the way you make a living. Whew! They’ll just criminalize the act of actually purchasing it from you.

Please consider how that would affect your business. Truly, please consider it. And while you’re at it, please consider what kind of clients you’d get. (In case it isn’t obvious, I’ll give you a hint: you’d get ones who don’t mind breaking the law.) Feel safer now doing your job?

If you’ve spent more than seven seconds on my blog, you probably know I support the decriminalization of all forms of sex work (and certainly do not support criminalizing the purchase of these services if sex work is decriminalized). Sex worker rights, of course, extend beyond criminalization, but legal status is one of the most prominent areas in which sex workers’ health and lives are endangered because of (as I see them) misguided laws and subsequent labor rights infringements.

Without further ado, following are a few measures since last March 3 that seem to indicate a widening of the understanding of sex workers’ rights and the ways laws have inhibited and still do inhibit them:

Celebrating International Sex Worker Rights Day 2014

“Sex worker wins harassment case”

March 1, 2014

  This is truly heartening to see.

“How Not to Talk About Human Trafficking”

  This contains so many important and helpful distinctions and insights. I was thrilled to discover it. (It is not dated, but it was new to me, and the comments on it appeared earlier in 2014.)

“Sex worker fights for victims of rape, assault”

December 14, 2013

  While I could hardly stand to read that this kind of legislative initiative had been allowed any credence whatsoever, since it was, I appreciate this article (and certainly that said legislation was rejected) even more.

“Does banning prostitution make women safer?”

July 8, 2013

  I’ve long appreciated the in-depth and articulate responses Laura Agustin has managed to give to repeated questions like this via her extensive research on sex work in myriad geographical regions and contexts.

     (Bonus commentary: Speaking of Laura, if you are interested in reading a longer discussion from her on this subject, I recommend this from August of last year: “Prostitution Law and the Death of Whores”)

“No Condoms As Evidence Bill Passes Assembly, Making History!”

June 21, 2013

  Last summer, the “No Condoms as Evidence” bill, which disallows the use of condom possession as evidence of practicing prostitution, passed the New York State Assembly. While prosecutors in New York had already stated they would not accept condoms as evidence of prostitution, legislation prohibiting the practice would protect sex workers (and others) from the atrocious application of law enforcement’s confiscating and presenting condoms as evidence of intent to partake in prostitution.

“Supreme Court Strikes Down Anti-Prostitution Pledge for US Groups”

June 20, 2013

  I blogged about this years ago, as I was and am appalled by the idea of making the receipt of funding for HIV prevention contingent on overtly opposing prostitution. I was/am so pleased to see the Supreme Court overrule such an absurdity on First Amendment grounds.

Happy International Sex Worker Rights Day 2014!

Love,

Emerald

*Please see the following for previous years’ posts:

“International Sex Worker Rights Day 2013″ (2013)

“An Open Letter to Rush Limbaugh” (2012)

“Bittersweet Balloons” (2011)

“International Sex Worker Rights Day” (2010)

“Further division is not the answer—division is not the answer…”

-Ben Lee “I Love Pop Music”

Best Erotic Romance 2014 Is Out Now!

My contributor copies of Best Erotic Romance 2014, edited by Kristina Wright and published by Cleis Press, arrived last night—which reminded me, of course, that I have been remiss in not yet announcing its release here!

Best Erotic Romance 2014 is in stock now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, its publisher, and elsewhere now! Along with all the fabulousness I anticipate finding between the covers, have you looked at the cover itself?? It’s one of my favorites of all the anthologies in which I’ve been.

On that note, my story “Rules” is in this book, and I’m so honored to be in another edition of Kristina’s Best Erotic Romance series. (Incidentally, if you’re reading this and would like to be in an edition yourself, she is taking submissions for next year’s edition right now!) I technically started “Rules” years ago when Alison Tyler asked her blog readers to write flash stories around the theme of “violet” (the color…or the flower, I guess; I worked with the color!). I ended up creating a different flash piece, and the premise of what would become “Rules” lay dormant for some time. I went to work on it again last year, and it developed into the story I ended up submitting to Kristina. I had a great time writing it, in part because it involves what I consider a fun outfit, and as much as I love fun outfits, it seems I haven’t delved into them a lot in much of my work. :)

So now it’s time to crack into one of my contributor copies; if you join me and procure a copy of your own, I do hope you enjoy it!

Love,

Emerald

When she was done, Joyce turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror. Her immediate response was to laugh. Head to toe in gleaming black, reams of shining purple polyester framed her face, the bangs almost reaching her eyelashes as her heavily-outlined green eyes blinked back at her. Her lips were the color of ripe cherries.

Wow, I used to look this way all the time on purpose, she thought as she left the bathroom. She made her way down to the basement—carefully, given the six-inch platform heels—and pulled the photo from the top of the box. [...] She looked at the picture, searching for what her husband had seen. Searching for who she’d been back then. Was it different from who she was now?

-from “Rules”

Recommended Reading #190: Sex as Labor, Pt. IV

      “I’m The Duke University Freshman Porn Star And For The First Time I’m Telling The Story In My Words” by Lauren A. (Sex and Culture, Sex Work, Memoir, Pornography) 2/21/14

I appreciate this piece profoundly. In addition, I was impressed by how it covers so much territory, from memoir/personal history to historical cultural treatment of female sexuality to cultural denigration of sex workers.

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      “Shut Up About How I Should Talk About My Sex Work” by Cameryn Moore (Sex Work, Memoir, Sex and Culture) 8/16/13

YES.

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      “Twitter and Power” by Noah Berlatsky (Social Media, Sex Work, Privilege) 2/11/14

This struck me as a thorough, thoughtful, incisive, articulate discussion of the matter at hand.

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Recommended Reading posted every Wednesday

Recommended Reading #189: Examining Communication, Pt. II

      “How Not to Talk About Human Trafficking” by Ryan Beck Turner (Human Rights, Labor, Sex Work) Undated

This is one of the most measured, straightforward, unbiased (it seems to me) things I have ever read about human trafficking. It seems so helpful and important in a realm surrounded by distortion—both the information that seems to be thrown around it and the deeply horrific act itself.

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      “How Do You Handle An Open Relationship?” on Ask A Slut! (Non-Monogamy, Relationship, Psychology) 2/16/14

I appreciate the space in Mark and Patricia’s answer for a non-dichotomous perspective on romantic relationship, and I also like how the questions are posed to oneself in addition to one’s partner(s)…I find communication with self of profound importance.

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      “The incredible story of how leopard Diabolo became Spirit – Anna Breytenbach, ‘animal communicator’.” [sic] (Non-Sex-Related, Animals, Consciousness) 11/19/13

I realize this may seem a fairly long video (13 min.), and I debated including it in RR for that reason, but the truth is, I would feel simply remiss if I did not recommend it. I truly see it as so worth the time investment.

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Recommended Reading posted every Wednesday

Heart(s) of Glass

Heart(s) of Glass for Toy With Me Tuesday

I don’t know why I’m just discovering the Toy With Me Tuesday meme now, but as soon as I learned of it (via an archive tweet of this amazing photo), I knew I wanted to do a belated Valentine’s Day-themed one with my beloved glass hearts dildo.

This dildo, pictured with me above, served as my anal one when I was webcamming. I still remember enthusiastically waving it at the camera right after I got it. “Isn’t it gorgeous??” I raved to a client. He replied, “It’s different. :).” LOL. Sadly, it’s hard to actually see the hearts in the photo, and it seems I can’t even link to the product page (I got it at Good Vibrations years ago), as it appears no longer for sale. So here it is up close:

Of course I thought of this toy immediately for this meme so close to Valentine’s Day, and I’m delighted to take the opportunity to photograph these fabulous thigh-high socks I recently got from American Apparel along with it. Their pairing with my ruffled red satin nightshirt simply epitomizes Valentine’s Day for me; throw in my glass hearts dildo, and it’s bona fide V-Day extravaganza. ;)

Happy belated Valentine’s Day, and happy Toy With Me Tuesday!

Love,

Emerald

“In between, what I find is pleasing and I’m feeling fine…”

-Blondie “Heart of Glass”

Recommended Reading #188: Shifting Perspectives, Pt. III

      “Why I Post Nude Photos (and why I blog about sex)” by Penny (Self-Awareness, Sex and Culture, Memoir) 1/29/14

I simply adore this. I relate to it as well, but even if I didn’t, I feel the message(s) in it are of profound beauty, relevance, and importance.

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      “This little thing called rights ” by Karen R. (Youth, Sexuality Education, Sociology) 2/1/14

I so wholeheartedly agree with the author’s assessment of youth rights (or the lack thereof) and similarly noted and felt enraged by it myself when I was a teenager. I also support shift in cultural perceptions and strictures in this area, and as such I was deeply delighted to see this piece.

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      “Beyond Your Control” at The Sensual Life (Self-Awareness, Philosophy, Consciousness) 2/12/14

This gorgeously crafted piece simply pierced right into me, conveying its content not with the actual words but with the awareness, the consciousness, with which it was written. I recommend reading it simply for the experience of that energy (in addition, of course, to the manifestation of the words that emerged from it).

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Recommended Reading posted every Wednesday

Cover Reveal: The Unmasking by Adriana Kraft

I’m delighted today to host a cover reveal for my beloved colleague (colleagues, technically, as it is a married couple writing under a single pen name) Adriana Kraft. I had the immense pleasure of meeting Adriana—both of them—in Las Vegas last October at the first Hot Mojave Knights romance reader event. Here they are to present a bit about their forthcoming romantic suspense novel, due out next week!

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Coming to Amazon.com on February 15! The Unmasking, by Adriana Kraft. Cover by Dawné Dominique, DuskTilDawn Designs.

The Unmasking

BLURB

Whose mask will crumble first—the enigmatic professor of Celtic Studies, the undercover cop masquerading as a co-ed, or the campus stalker, biding his time to strike again?

Is anthropology professor Matt Bayfield the Blackthorn College rapist, or a potential ally? Aloof and unapproachable, Matt has academic ambitions. He can’t escape Blackthorn College soon enough, and he doesn’t want any entanglements to slow down his exit.

Nancy Appleby would like nothing more than to solve the string of campus rape cases before Thanksgiving so she can go home. The last thing she wants is a relationship to complicate her life—but she’ll settle for a fling, especially when the sex sizzles.

The stalker has his own carefully crafted timetable, with a special date just for Nancy. Can Matt and Nancy force him out of his hidey-hole before it’s too late?

Find Adriana Kraft on the web:

Website: http://adrianakraft.com

Blog: http://adrianakraft.com/blog

FaceBook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adriana...

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft

Recommended Reading #187: (Countering) Sexual Double Standards

      “Some concluding thoughts and answers to questions.” by Scott Benson (Gender Socialization, Art, Feminism) 4/28/13

This, as I understand it, was written specifically in response to this video, which the author created. I actually love the piece itself to which I link with or without the video—it is the substance I interpret him as asserting in the text that I really appreciate.

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      “The Case of the Missing Orgasm” by Shawna Kenney (Sex and Culture, Mainstream Entertainment, Gender Socialization) 1/29/14

I find this an interesting piece. I had not heard of the Hysterical Literature project and have not seen most of the movies referenced in the article. I like what it points out about the portrayal of female pleasure, however, especially in relation to violence in mainstream “entertainment.” For that reason especially, this strikes me as an important read.

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      “Apologies for this little rant about ‘How To Write Female Characters’…” by stirpicus (Gender Socialization, Mainstream Entertainment) 12/21/13

As I read this, I felt a mixture of frustration about the truth I see in this and fierce and righteous agreement that someone is saying. Well fucking said. The part about characters not being different according to their gender if they’re written well is my favorite. How incredible that we would need this pointed out, but as long as we seem to need to, I appreciate someone’s doing so.

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Recommended Reading posted every Wednesday

Musing and Mingling on the MFRW Facebook Group

My second post in my monthly staff series on moderating the MFRW Facebook group, “Moderating the MFRW Facebook Group – Contacting Potential Members,” is live on the MFRW Marketing Blog now. I used the accompanying adorable picture of ducklings that Rick Write took during our foray into Walt Disney World a few years ago just because it reminded me of, well, a group (albeit quite a small one!). :D Writing both of these first two posts has offered interesting insight into what I actually do as moderator and how it has generally just developed organically as I’ve gone along. :)

In the meantime, since my last post there, there’s been a load of information posted on the marketing blog from MFRW’s experienced, knowledgeable staff. I do recommend visiting frequently to anyone seeking insight and suggestions into the world of marketing (especially online and via social media).

Love,

Emerald

“Send a pigeon, send a fax, write it on a post-it pad, send a signal up in smoke…”

-Lonestar “No News”

Recommended Reading #186: (United States) Public Policy, Pt. V

      “Sex worker fights for victims of rape, assault” by Justin Berton (Sex Work, Sex and Culture, Politics) 12/14/13

It is abhorrent to me that such a legislative initiative was ever given the slightest bit of credence, but I like this article and what I interpret it as expressing a lot (especially since it has a happy ending).

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      “I’m Polyamorous: So What If Same-Sex Marriage Is A Slippery Slope?” by Angi Becker Stevens (Non-Monogamy, Relationship, Sex and Culture) 3/28/13

I personally don’t resonate with what I perceive to be society’s profound attachment to marriage; I don’t really see why legality and marriage are connected at all (i.e., why marriage is a matter of the state). But as long as it is, I appreciate the perspective I interpret this piece as offering. And marriage aside, I appreciate what I see it as saying about the perceived validity of different types of romantic/sexual relationships in general.

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      “A pregnancy, an abortion and a story to tell” by Steve Blow (Reproductive Rights, Abortion, Health and Body, Politics) 1/18/14

While it’s sincerely hard for me to imagine people not understanding this, I share and recommend it because it seems some do not. Because of the political strife that exists in this realm (which I find regrettable), these heartbreaking stories seem important for the public to hear/read of.

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Recommended Reading posted every Wednesday