Members of DSA SF’s Socialist Feminist (SocFem) working group joined community organizers and sex workers at Oscar Grant Plaza on June 2, 2019, in a rally and celebration in honor of International Sex Workers Day, also known as International Whore’s Day.  

International Sex Workers Day, observed annually on June 2, honors sex workers and brings attention to inhumane working conditions, exploitation, and unequal access to justice faced by sex workers around the world.  The day’s activities challenge oppressive patriarchal standards of morality and deeply-rooted stigma that harm sex workers and take away their economic agency.

The date commemorates an eight-day occupation of a church by a group of sex workers seeking better working conditions in Lyon, France, in 1975, and is commemorated in various cities around the world.  This year, Bay Area sex workers and their allies rallied for the total decriminalization of sex work, which would allow sex workers more autonomy, independence, and freedom from criminal prosecution.

SocFem has supported sex workers’ rights to work and organize in the past and collaborates with community partners to support former and current sex workers.  Like any other workers, sex workers deserve dignity, empowerment, and the ability to found unions and collectives to advocate for better working conditions.

Interested in organizing with women, trans and non-binary people, and cis-male allies to fight issues stemming from the intersection of capitalism and the patriarchy?  SocFem meets the second Wednesday (6:00-8:00 p.m.) and third Saturday (2:00-4:00 p.m.) of the month.