CHATSWORTH, Calif.—The Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Adult Industry Collective (BIPOC-AIC) invites politically-minded industry members to take part in a two-part panel discussion on the November 3 national election, with part one taking place tomorrow, September 24, at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET.
Dubbed "Politricks," the pair of events offer an opportunity to hear from sex workers, educators, activists and legal experts as they unpack and analyze the impact of legislation aimed at the sex industry, often framed using an anti-trafficking guise. The first installment of Politricks focuses on the fallout of SESTA-FOSTA and the dangerous implications the EARN IT Act has for all laborers in the sex and adult entertainment industries. Moderated by BIPOC-AIC member Mia Little, panelists will include attorney Maxine L. Barasch, Phoenix Calida, Raani Begum, SX Noir, India Thusi and Mia Lee.
“Technological advances are complicating, and will continue to complicate, the regulation of sex work,” says Thusi, Associate Professor of Law at Delaware Law School. “It’s important that policymakers avoid excessive regulations that violate sex workers’ rights and make sex work more risky. They should instead be focused on making the industry safer rather than expanding the paths to incarceration.”
Current, harmful legislation has resulted in illegitimate searches of street-based workers, raids on strip clubs, and state-sanctioned violence against sex workers by law enforcement.
Mia Lee, a New York and San Francisco based escort, says, “FOSTA/SESTA is a coarse brush for the alleged eradication of sex trafficking, which reflects puritanical political sentiments and ultimately endangers the most vulnerable consensual sex workers.”
The goal of these panels, the organization said, is to prepare voters for the upcoming election cycle. The speakers will provide their insights regarding what is happening on the floors of U.S. courtrooms, Congress, the White House, and the real-life impact of legislation related to sex work. The second installment of Politricks will occur in October.
For more information and to register for part one of Politricks, click here.
