"For me, "prostitute" is purely descriptive. It's not a slang term designed to maximize offense; it..."

"For me, "prostitute" is purely descriptive. It's not a slang term designed to maximize offense; it is simply our most basic word for a person who has sex for money. I like its honesty. And I like its solidarity. Because when a sex working woman is arrested or murdered, the news coverage is going to call her a prostitute whether she used Craigslist, took referrals, or worked the streets."

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I wrote about the Long Island murders and I'm worried that I did a piss poor job, but I at least included links and quotes from Dacia and Melissa, who are doing amazing work right now.  (via nightmarebrunette)

My comment on her post (you should read the whole thing):

You're not doing a piss poor job, as you implied on Tumblr.

And it is really great to have this space, and others created and controlled by sex workers. I think that our safety and wellness – in a world that wants to fuck us while also want[ing] us dead and/or arrested – is paramount.

But I also think we need to keep pushing and going outside of our comfort zones when we are able to do so. Part of me wants to retreat to my community, commiserate and get support there, and stay in that bubble… but I know that nothing will change unless we can speak out to people who don't support us, but would if they thought about it some more, if they saw a fellow human being with this experience in front of them. There are people who hate us – but there are also people who will listen. We need their solidarity if we are going to change things.