Defining Sex Work
There’s global debate surrounding sex work...but how much do we really know about it? What counts as sex work? Why is its legalization and decriminalization such an issue? Let’s explore!
What is sex work?
In hopes of destigmatizing it, the term ‘Sex work’ was first used by Carol Leigh (AKA ‘the Scarlet Harlot’) in the late 80s. Leigh attempted to appoint value and recognition to sexual labor by giving it a different name. However, “connotations of criminality and immorality” have not ceased to exist. Even though these sexual encounters are not considered, legally, an occupation or profession in the vast majority of countries, they’re revenue-producing activities and, for most, their only source of income.
“Sex work is the provision of sexual services for money or goods”
— Cheryl Overs, Sex Workers : Part Of The Solution, The World Health Organization
“Sex workers are adults [of all genders] who receive money or goods
in exchange for consensual sexual services or erotic performances.”
— Open Society Foundations, Understanding Sex Work in an Open Society
About the word ‘prostitute’
Throughout history, and still today, there’s a lot of social stigma attached to sex workers, and it’s reflected in language. There’s evolving controversy surrounding the word ‘prostitute’. As Dr. Kate Lister asserts, “It’s a word burdened with considerable historical and cultural baggage.” Furthermore, “the term ‘prostitute’ does not simply mean a person who sells her or his sexual labour, but brings with it layers of ‘knowledge’ about worth, drug status, childhood, integrity, personal hygiene and sexual health,” says Research Fellow at the Living with Disability Research Centre Lizzie Smith,
“Language that reflects the humanity of the person, or people being
described is a process that requires continual revision.”
— Dr Kate Lister, Sex workers or prostitutes? Why words matter
Many sex workers advocate for the word ‘prostitute’ to be discontinued because not only is it demeaning but it “contributes to their exclusion from health, legal, and social services.” Who’s to blame? Hard to say. But how can we migrate from ‘prostitute’ to ‘sex worker’ when The Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam Webster, just to mention a couple of sources, continue to include the term? How to mitigate the power of the term ‘prostitute’ when its earliest use dates back to the 1530s?
“We have managed to move beyond using historical terms for people of colour, the LGBTQ community and those with disabilities, and I suggest we do the same here.”
— Dr Kate Lister, Sex workers or prostitutes? Why words matter
Sex work is something one can choose, something that one is pushed towards or something that one longs for. One of the biggest challenges sex workers face today is stigma. According to sex worker Jenna Love, “Stigma kills and if we want to fight against bad situations for sex workers then we need to have decriminalization across the whole country.”
A way we can support sex workers is by educating ourselves on the industry to help change the old narratives around it. Knowing that certain terminology might be seen as offensive and denigrating of a person’s value, why not embrace language that comforts, empowers and creates sustainability?
“‘Prostitute’...it never fully shakes off the associations with dishonour
and is as likely to be used as an insult as a professional descriptor.”
— Dr Kate Lister, Sex workers or prostitutes? Why words matter
