First Press Release : Assises de la Prostitution, on the 20th of march 2009, in Odeon - theatre of Europe
Paper read at the Assises de la Prostitution, 20 March 2009, at the Odéon - Théâtre de l’Europe
We are prostitutes, escorts, porn actors or actresses, strip-teaseurSEs, dominas, erotic phone call workers, working in apartment, on the street, in a camper, or by Internet ads. Women, men, trans, French and migrants,
Together, we say to the rest of society:
We are not a world apart;
We are part of this society.
We are your mothers, your fathers, your sisters, your brothers, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your family, your colleagues, you meet us every day on the subway or the street. You know us without knowing us because the social stigma surrounding prostitution maintains us in shame.
Today we leave this shame.
We are neither victims nor offenders.
We are citizens. We are electors. We are workers. We are strong.
Today we are here to prove to the world that we are able to have a political discourse about ourselves, to be political actors and actresses.
We must be heard.
That is why we are proud to announce today the creation of the first union of sex work, the STRASS.
A union is the power to reclaim the discourse on ourselves.
We are the real experts on prostitution and sex work, we the sex workers.
A union is the way to put pressure on institutions and politics, to change the laws, stop the repression, gain recognition for our work and therefore our rights and end discrimination.
A union is the strength to fight against our exploitation and increasingly difficult working conditions. It is to put an end of proxenetism by the self-organization of our community.
A union is to be united, is to learn from each other, share and communicate, guide the young and those who start, to provide help and support.
It is to give what we do the best: love.
