Sex Workers Outreach Project New York City (SWOP-NYC) and Sex Workers Action New yorK (SWANK) are both volunteer-based, grassroots organizations and part of a national network dedicated to improving the lives of current and former sex workers/those with experience in the sex trade in the New York metro area, on and off of the job.
Welcome to SWOP-NYC & SWANK
Latest News:
Sex Worker Groups Respond to Long Island Murders
April 8th, 2011 — press-releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Friday, April 8, 2011
Contact: Dylan Wolf, SWANK, 347-748-9163, swank@riseup.net
Sarah Jenny Bleviss, swop.nyc@gmail.com
New York – Sex Workers Action New York (SWANK) and Sex Workers Outreach Project NYC (SWOP-NYC) are dismayed that four more bodies were discovered on Long Island earlier this week. Police believe that a serial killer is responsible for murdering at least eight people found on a remote Suffolk County beach since December. Reports indicate the murder victims were in the sex trade. As sex workers and allies, SWANK and SWOP-NYC mourn the lives of these individuals and extend our sympathies to their families and communities.
“Sex workers are targeted for violence because of the stigma against what we do,” Dylan Wolf, a SWANK member said, “People think they can do whatever they want to us and they won’t get caught. And because of bad laws, social isolation and discrimination, they get away with it all the time. But like those murdered, we’re not disposable, bad people – we have lives that matter and people that love us. No matter who we are or what we do to make ends meet, we don’t deserve to die – we deserve good lives.”
A recent New York Times article suggested that dozens, if not hundreds, of people in the sex industry have been murdered in New York State since 1990. “Stories like what’s happened on Long Island make us fear for our safety,” said SWANK member Michael Bottoms, “As sex workers, we already know that stigma puts us at risk for being targeted, and so we take as many precautions as we can. But if we do experience violence, most of us can’t go to the cops, because we could get arrested, they might not take us seriously, or they could have been the ones who were violent to us in the first place.”
“When we ignore violence against sex workers, we support a culture where a serial killer can murder eight, twelve, or even dozens of sex workers without the media, the police or the general public being outraged or even thinking twice,” said Maryse Mitchell-Brody, a SWOP-NYC organizer, “We won’t end this violence by keeping the sex trade illegal, because it isn’t going anywhere – this just drives people further underground and makes them more vulnerable to violence. Murders like these show that we must use new strategies to create safety and dignity that don’t reinforce stigma or discrimination.”
To learn more about what you can do to support the rights of current and former sex workers and those with experience in the sex trade to safety and well-being, visit www.swop-nyc.org.
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Panel Discussion on International Solidarity with India’s Sex Workers’ Rights Movement
April 3rd, 2011 — events
Wednesday, April 13
5-7pm
The Brecht Forum, 451 West St. (West Side Highway), betw. Bank and Bethune
Click here for directions
Free and open to the public
Dr. Smarajit Jana, one of the founders of the DMSC (Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee) in Calcutta, India, and his colleague, a member of DMSC’s organizing committee, are visiting the US in April, and will be speaking at the Brecht Forum on Wednesday, April 13, 5-7pm.
The DMSC is a collective forum of 65,000 sex workers and serves as a model of labor organizing within the sex worker rights community. DMSC has been extremely successful in securing support for their work from the communist-led government of the Indian state of West Bengal, making the organization unique in the kinds of allies it has made in the course of doing its work. However, opportunities for sex workers from the Global South to meet with fellow activists, like-minded scholars and allies in the Global North are few and far between, unlike the opportunities for networking among anti-human-trafficking activists, which abound, due to governmental support for the abolition of prostitution. This exciting event will bring together sex workers’ and labor rights activists in New York with activists from India in a rich discussion on what’s happening, and what the way forward might be.
This event is sponsored by: the Sex Workers’ Outreach Project (SWOP)-NYC, The Brecht Forum, South Asia Solidarity Initiative, the Barnard Center for Research on Women, the Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a coalition of sex workers’ rights advocates in New York City.
More Press From 86 The Violence
March 30th, 2011 — events
Stop NY State Police from using condoms as evidence of prostitution! The time to act is NOW!
March 24th, 2011 — media
From the Sex Workers Project:
Hello all,
We just discovered that Council Member Jessica Lappin has introduced a New York City Council resolution in support of our bill! http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=853106&GUID=22329998-92ED-43B1-9DC8-F2AD87EE50BB&Options&Search
The most helpful thing people can do is CALL THEIR COUNCIL MEMBERS and ask them to SIGN ONTO THE RESOLUTION (Res 0710-2011).
This is a quick and easy thing you can do today to support sex workers!
1) find your council member here: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml.
2) Call their Legislative Office
3) Tell who answers your name, and that you are a constituent
4) Ask to speak to the Legislative Staff
5) Say you would like your Council Member to sign onto Res 0710, introduced by Councilmember Jessica Lappin
- This resolution supports bill S323/A1008 in the New York State Legislature
- This bill would prohibit condoms from being used as evidence of prostitution
- This bill promote public health by making sure everyone can carry condoms without worrying it could lead to arrest or conviction.
- Condoms are regularly confiscated by police, leading to higher risk for pregnancy, HIV, and STD’s among vulnerable populations.
- This impacts public health initiatives distributing condoms to at-risk populations.
- This bill has a broad list of supporters, including the Public Health Association of New York City, GMHC, Planned Parenthood, the NYCLU, the LGBT Center, and many other organizations.
- Leave your name and phone number, in case the Council Member has any questions.
Please let us know if you are able to make a call!
For more info about the bill – please click here: http://www.sexworkersproject.org/campaigns/2011/new-york-condom-bill/
SWP No Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution PSA from Mandona Productions on Vimeo.
SWOP-NYC in the New York Times Today
March 18th, 2011 — events, media
Congratulations to SWOP-NYC members who received press from the New York Times blog today for this performance/action entitled 86 The Violence.
This year, the United States participated in a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – a process set up by the Human Rights Council at the United Nations to assess the level of human rights in each country. The U.S. received more than 200 recommendations and must now decide to accept or reject each recommendation. Recommendation 86 called on the Obama Administration to “…ensure access to public services paying attention to the special vulnerability of sexual workers to violence and human rights abuses.” This is the first time the US has been internationally called upon to address its insensitivity to the long-neglected issues faced by sex workers.
To capitalize on this momentous opportunity, sex worker support and advocacy organizations from all across the country have organized to move government officials to agree to accept the recommendation. As a part of our organizing efforts we have reached out to sex worker groups, academics, policy makers, community organizations, funders and NGO’s around the globe and received unprecendented levels of support.
For more information, visit 86 the Violence.
BREAKING: U.S. ACKNOWLEDGES HUMAN RIGHTS NEEDS OF SEX WORKERS
March 16th, 2011 — Uncategorized
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Stacey Swimme Sienna Baskin, Esq.
Communications@StJamesInfirmary.org SBaskin@urbanjustice.org
(877) 776‐2004 x. 2 (646) 602-5695
BREAKING: U.S. ACKNOWLEDGES HUMAN RIGHTS NEEDS OF SEX WORKERS
At UN, US Says No one Should Face Discrimination For Public Services, Including Sex Workers
March 9th, 2011- According to their statement in response to the UN’s human rights evaluation, the US agrees that “…no one should face violence or discrimination in access to public services based on sexual orientation or their status as a person in prostitutioni.” This marks a rare occasion in which the US is addressing the needs of sex workers as a distinct issue separate from human trafficking. Sex workers have unique needs that aren’t adequately addressed by federal trafficking policy. Sex workers are hopeful that this will present a new opportunity to work with anti-trafficking efforts to address mutual human rights concerns.
“People in the sex trade have been marginalized and stigmatized when seeking public services, including through law enforcement. This is a big step forward to acknowledging sex workers’ human rights.” Kelli Dorsey, Executive Director of Different Avenues said.
Over the past year sex workers and their families, sex workers’ rights groups, human rights advocates, and academic researchers have engaged in an unprecedented advocacy collaboration. “It has been crucial to bring together the perspectives of a wide range of communities including immigrant and LGBT groups in order to illustrate the depth of human rights violations experienced by sex workers in the United States,” says Penelope Saunders, Coordinator of the Best Practices Policy Project, who worked with the Desiree Alliance to send a shadow report to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). These initial efforts resulted in Recommendation 86 and the formation of a group called Human Rights For All: Concerned Advocates for the Rights of Sex Workers and People in the Sex Trade (HRA).
HRA had support from more than 125 organizations in urging law makers to accept Recommendation #86, part of the report of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which called on the US to look into the special vulnerability of sex workers to violence and human rights abuses. “We were long overdue for the United States to take the needs of sex workers seriously, particularly the need to stem violence and discrimination,” says attorney Sienna Baskin, Co-Director of Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center in New York.
“Human beings cannot be excluded from accesible services because they work in economies outside of society’s accepted norms,” explains Cristine Sardina, co-director, Desiree Alliance. “The fact that the U.S. has acknowledged the recommendation in full speaks to the current administration’s willingness to recognize the abuses sex workers have been subjected to for too long. We look forward to working with this administration”.
Sex workers say the issues they face are complex and more work will have to be done to protect against human rights abuses. “Sex workers who are transgender or people of color face the most violence and it’s important that we continue to realize and work towards ending that, this is a good first step.” Said Tara Sawyer, who sits on the Board of Directors of the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA.
On Friday March 18th Sex Workers will stage demonstrations in cities across the country to celebrate adoption of Recommendation #86. “The U.S. has finally acknowledged that sex workers face issues separate from those of human trafficking victms,” said Natalie Brewster Nguyen, an artist and member of the Sex Workers Outreach Project of Tucson who is organizing the demonstrations on the 18th, ”Now we need to demand that steps be taken to address the issues that will actually improve the daily lives of sex workers.”
For more information on this story or the upcoming March 18th demonstrations, please contact Stacey Swimme atCommunications@StJamesInfirmary.org or (877) 776-2004 x. 2
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Photos from the International Day for Sex Workers’ Rights Community Potluck
March 6th, 2011 — events, SWOP-NYC
Check out the full album from the International Day for Sex Workers’ Rights Community Potluck on our SWOP-NYC Facebook Page!
Call for Performers & Videos: Sex Worker Cabaret in NYC – Sunday, June 12, 2011
March 2nd, 2011 — events
Share Your Sex Worker Pride this June at the Sex Worker Cabaret on June 12th at Public Assembly in Brooklyn!
APPLY TODAY >>> http://www.sexworkercabaret.com/
** Please Forward Widely! **
We are looking for cabaret acts of 3-7 minutes each for an early evening (7pm -11pm) event: burlesque, performance art, literary readings, comedy, video art, musical acts, etc. are all welcomed.
Diversity encouraged! All genders, bodies, ages, and talents welcome to apply. We are currently looking for proposals that would be, on some level, about sex work: whether it be a story about your favorite/least favorite client, a burlesque number to She Works Hard For the Money, or a more abstract interpretation. Preference is given to current/former sex workers (self-defined) but we will also consider topical submissions from allies, partners of workers, etc.
Please submit a short proposal by April 7, 2011 about the act you are interested in doing. If we don’t know one another, please send a link to your website, facebook, etc. or a link to a video.
Compensation: This is a benefit for…you! Some overhead costs need to be covered but after that, all money received from the door will be pooled and split among the performers. (Each act is a share in the pool; each video is a half-share) We ask that you help promote as the more people we bring in, the more money for the performers. We can help out of town performers find housing, but are unable to provide travel stipends. We are also looking for go-go dancers who would be compensated with part of the pooled funds — but also receive tips. Go-go dancing is 7pm-8pm and during intermission. You may apply to both perform and go-go. Please forward to anyone you think might like to be a part of this very special evening.
Deadline: Please submit your proposal by April 7th.
Questions? Contact: Sarah Jenny & Damien at producers@sexworkercabaret.com
http://www.sexworkercabaret.com/
This venue is wheelchair accessible.
March 3 – No Justice, No Piece (International Sex Worker Rights Day)
February 16th, 2011 — events

Hosted by Audacia Ray
Happy Ending, 302 Broome Street between Forsyth and Eldridge, in New York City
Doors at 7 pm, reading from 8-10
21 and up – FREE
15% of the bar tab supports Speak Up! Media Training for Sex Workers
Starring: Richard Berkowitz, Erin Markey, Drew Deveaux, and Melissa Ditmore
For more information, visit the Red Umbrella Diaries webpage.
Best Clinical Practices & Policies Working with Sex Worker Populations
February 12th, 2011 — events, training
Columbia University School of Social Work
Feminist Caucus | Queer Caucus | Men’s Caucus
in collaboration with
PROS Network (Providers & Resources Offering Services to Sex Workers) presents…
BEST CLINICAL PRACTICES & POLICIES WORKING WITH SEX WORKER POPULATIONS
Facebook Invite: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163814787003388
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2011
8:00 – 9:30PM
1255 Amsterdam Ave, Room C03
Learn about the “No Condoms as Evidence” Bill, How to be Competent and Sensitive Providers to a Population on the Margins, Harm Reduction Strategies for Effective Engagement
*This event is being held in recognition of March 3rd: International Sex Worker Rights Day!
CUSSW FACULTY MODERATOR: Marion Riedel, Associate Professor at CUSSW
Guest Speakers:
- Johannah Westmacott, Coordinator for Trafficked Minors, Safe Horizon Streetwork Project
- Stephen Crowe, Managing Director of Holistic Community Healthcare Services, Harlem United Community AIDS Center
- Andriana Ongoiba, Counselor/Advocate, Sex Workers Project
Refreshments provided. This event will be videotaped and recorded.
For more info, email prosnetworknyc@gmail.com or visitwww.prosnetworknyc.org



