RED LIGHT RADIO

Check out the first podcast in my new series on sex workers, Red Light Radio, started with fellow SWOP member kittenINFINITE.

More to come!


Red Light Radio Sex Work Podcast

Sugasm #120

The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants. Want in Sugasm #121? Submit a link to your best post of the week using this form. Participants, repost the link list within a week and you’re all set.

This Week’s Picks
The Ache of Desire Unsatisfied
“J groaned in my ear, and I nearly pulled down his zipper then and there.”

Unexpected
“Tingles of electricity were set coursing up and down that side of my body.”

Part(y)ing shots
“I placed both my hands on the tiled wall in front of me, clammy and cold, holding myself up.”

Mr. Sugasm Himself
The “Best way to make him felt hot”

Editor’s Choice
Who Is A Sex Worker?

More Sugasm
Join the Sugasm

See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.

(Sugasm participants should re-post all the links above within a week. The following links may be excluded as long as you include all the above links.)

BDSM & Fetish
The administration of pain
Calm
Cock Blogging
Cuckold
Expect the unexpected
Happy hunting
I got quoted in Bitchy Jones!
A Lying Husband’s Spanking and Mouthsoaping
So Hard It Hurts
Vegas Squeeze Toy

Sex Poetry
Lick
The Sweetest Fruit: An Ode to Cunninglingus

Thoughts on Sex and Relationships
Navigating the Shoals of Infidelity
Silent Sex
Statute of limitations for rape
Tales from the Floor: Pure Njoy-ment
What is fasionable today?
Why Christianity hates sex (possibly)
WWYD: Presidents Day Edition

NSFW Pics, Videos & Audio
Action Girls’ Latest Erotic Photo Galleries
The Beauty Of Nature
Hot Wax at LSM with Madeline
Mizuki Horii
Nikki Nefarious Has Taken, And Modeled, The Hottest Photograph Ever (Altered Aperture)
Redhead Submissive Tied Up In Box (Fetish, shibari, catalinaloves.com)
Suzie Carina - Hotel Room
Vivid.com: Briana Banks, Monique Alexander, Nadia Styles & Sunny Leone

Sex Work
Catalina loves Couples (D/s)

Sex Advice
How to Bend Over Your Boyfriend and Make Him Like It
The Ultimate Sex Position?

Erotic Writing and Experiences
After the gaurd 2
Blue Air
The Cam Lover screwed a hot black escort in London - Part 2
Catalina loves Great Cookies
Eternal Kiss…An Erotic Paranormal Tale
The magic dinner party
Excerpt - The Party Crasher
The Naughty Dentist - Part One
Phantom Stirrings
The therapy session

Sex News, Reviews & Interviews
Blog Contest Teaser
Harmony Rose Dominates Glory Hole Perv And Fucks Him With Strap-On (Bondage, Femdom, Captivemale.com)
Ron Jeremy Reviews: Souja Boy

Who Is A Sex Worker?

If you are...

A Prostitute
An Escort
A Whore
A Hooker
A Streetworker
A Madam
A Courtesan
A Dominatrix
A Master
An Erotic Masseuse
A Full Body Sensual Masseuse
A Stripper
An Exotic Dancer
An Adult Film/Porn Performer
Someone Who Shoots, Directs, or Produces Porn
A Fluffer
An Erotic Writer
A Phone Sex Operator
A Tantra Provider
An Agency owner
A Pimp
Someone supported by A Sugar Daddy/Mama
Someone who has had sex for food, drugs, or to get the money you needed to survive
A Clerk at a Sex shop
An Owner of a Sexually Oriented Business
A Peep Show Dancer
A Webcam Performer
A Fetish or Nude Model
A Fetish/Erotic Photographer
An Online Domme
An Adult Webmaster/mistress
A Burlesque Dancer
A Sex Advice Columnist
A Sex Toy Reviewer
A Sex Worker Advocate/Activist
A Publisher/Editor of A Sexually Oriented Publication
A Hustler/Ho
A Waitress at A Strip Club
A Phone Operator at an Escort Service
A Fantasy Sex Provider
A Curator at A Sex Museum
A Sex Educator
A Sex Surrogate
A Sex Therapist
Rent Boy/Girl

...you can consider yourself a sex worker. A sex worker isn't necessarily someone who has sex with her/his clients. While all these professions may be vastly different from one another, we are linked by one thing-our knowledge and expertise in a specific profession related to sex. We are asking you to come share your skills and knowledge with us this summer at the 2008 Desiree Alliance Conference in Chicago. From July 16-21 sex workers from all over the country will gather in Chicago for the national convergence, "Pulling Back the Sheets: Sex, Work, and Social Justice."

Please join us as either a presenter or attendee. Your voice is important to us.

For more information on registration and call for submissions, go to http://www.desireealliance.org

(Permission to repost this anywhere)

Beautiful Women Get Taken By Ugly Men

I re-watched the movie Romance last night and once again, was just totally floored by it. It had been several years since I had originally seen it and I remember just being so amazed at how accurate and well-written it was in relating to women's sexuality. Incidentally, the film was originally recommended to me by a client who I saw jut a few times, but he seemed to recognize that I would completely relate to this film. I did, and I thank him for that. 

The film also turned me on to director Catherine Breillat, a French filmmaker whose films usually deal with the sexuality of young women in such an explicit and accurate way that they could never be made in the United States. She seems to understand the submissive tendencies that a lot of women have when it comes to sex, but also the tendencies to want to become a whore, to be used for sexual pleasure without the binding fallacies of a relationship. After watching Romance for the first time, I couldn't believe how many of my secret fantasies were played out in this movie, fantasies that I thought only I had. I mean, I had never seen a film that I could relate to on such a personal level as this one.

If you have never seen one of Breillat's films, I advise you to check one out...Romance, Fat Girl, Anatomy of Hell, A Very Young Girl, 36 Fillete. Just amazing, incredible works of art that truthfully expose the sexuality of women that no American filmmaker could ever try to do. 

Teetering the Line

Five years ago I went back to college to finish my degree and got my BA in film and video in 2006. I freelance in the mainstream film industry, which is just as risky a business as the sex industry, but it was a longtime dream of mine. Essentially I went from being a sadist in the sex industry to a masochist in the film industry, which demands twelve to fourteen hour days, erratic (sometimes no) pay, and oftentimes poor working conditions. Those of us that do it are in it for the love of filmaking and the power of media, despite our better judgement.

Being a sex worker has actually helped me to find work in film, but not how you think. When you're trying to break into this industry, you have to take any job you can get and sometimes jobs are few and far between. Others have long and erratic hours, making it impossible to hold down a normal job while trying to find film work. After a few years of trying, a lot of people give up working in the film industry and finally get a "real" job in an unrelated field because they can't afford to live off the wages they're making. Those that stick with it and make a name for themselves can make upwards of $400/day. I've lucked out. A lot of the people I've graduated with just two years ago have pretty much given up on trying to find regular film work and are looking into other fields. I work on films on weekends and supplement by doing sex work during the week. I've got it balanced out.

Man, sometimes I just love being a sex worker so much.

That said, I have to be careful now that I'm teetering the line between the regular work world and the sex work world. I don't publish photos of myself online for advertising. I know a lot of people think this is crazy...insane even...but I'm not a high volume provider much anymore and have to be careful about who might discover my "secret." Yes, I know it wouldn't be too hard for most people to find out (shit, I'm a SWOP member) but I can't run the risk of having the wrong person come across my photo only to run into them on a film set.

This is a problem I imagine most sex workers face...how do you incorporate yourself into the mainstream work world after being a sex worker for so long? What if someone recognizes you?

During the day, when I work on film, you would NEVER recognize or even guess that I'm a sex worker at night. I'm very tomboy-ish looking, wear little makeup and really don't exude any sexiness. The job I do is traditionally (almost always) done by men and I take quite a bit of grief for it (people don't trust me). I like it like this. I never want people to be able to look at me and guess what I am. I hate stereotypes.

Still, it's very difficult for me to bond with these people I work around. I don't like most of them and don't really feel comfortable talking to them about most subjects. After so many years in the industry, I truly only feel comfortable hanging out with other sex workers or at least those who know and accept what I do. I know I can speak freely around them and have no need to censor myself like I often feel I need to around those "not in the know." Do I put up a huge defense if I hear someone make a deragatory comment about prostitutes or just remain silent, as not to give myself away? These are issues I still face every day.


I long for the day when I can direct my own film...the one that changes the way people view sex workers, the one where I can tell my crew "hey, this is my autobiography." Not now, though. Probably not for a long time.

Sex Worker Solidarity

Radical Vixen's series on Sex Worker Solidarity spotlights yours truly this week. Check it out.

Sex Workers, Save the Date! Chicago is the place to be in July

We are organizing for this event now, so mark the dates on your calendar. We are already lining up hotels and housing options and will be sending out a call for proposals soon. So if you are a sex worker and would like to attend, start making plans now. if you'd like to help out in planning the conference, join the Desiree Alliance.

If you live in Chicago, contact me and I will give you information on how to join SWOP-Chicago.


Save the Date!!

The Sex Worker Revolution is hitting Chi-Town!!

On July 16-20 of 2008, hundreds of sex workers and sex worker activists will converge on Chicago at the Desiree Alliance Conference:
Pulling Back the Sheets: Sex, Work and Social Justice

The Desiree Alliance is a diverse, volunteer-based, sex worker-led network of organizations, communities, and individuals across the US working in harm reduction, direct services, political advocacy, and health services for sex workers. We provide leadership development and create space for sex workers and supporters to come together to advocate for human, labor, and civil rights for all workers in the sex industry.
The time to get active is NOW!

**Go to www.desireealliance .org and click on the "join the yahoo group"**
You will receive two monthly updates on this announcement list as Desiree Alliance starts to collect "calls for presentations" (got something to say?), registration for the conference, and general updates about the 2008 Desiree Alliance Conference.


Some of the workshops from last years conference in San Francisco:

"Know your Rights! A legal training for arrest and emergency response to arrest"

"Fundamental Safety for Sex Workers through Personal Privacy:
Legal and relatively simple ways of being "hidden" from clients and stalkers"

"Clicking beyond Craigslist: Marketing and working using the internet (by $pread)

"Roundtable discussion: Spiritual approaches to sex work; bringing back a courtesan ethic"

"Problems and Solutions: Educating the public and cultivating allies for sex workers rights"

"Entertainers guide to disabled clients"

"Legalizing Prostitution in order to fight trafficking for sexual exploitation:
a critical evaluation of anti-prostitution policies"

and much more!!


Thinking about sharing a workshop or training at the 2008 conference? Got something to share with other sex workers? Wanna learn new skills in both sex work and sex work activism? Just want to hang out with hundreds of radically minded hookers?

Join the Group!

Visit us online at: www.desireealliance .org

Questions? email info@desireeallianc e.org



The Desiree Alliance conference organizers are committed to support for representation and inclusiveness of cultural, racial, economic, age, and gender identity. Please read our Diversity Statement and join our efforts to build a respectful, diverse, and strong sex worker movement.