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EATTLE JOURNAL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
gender justice in February
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and at a benefit for sexual assault survivors in
March.
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The Seattle Feminist Book Club has screened documentaries and
read books that are critical of the sex industry and confront the concept of
prostitution as a matter of “choice,” “agency,” or “empowerment” for
women.
336
These grassroots organizations provide a counter narrative to the
advocacy in favor of decriminalizing prostitution promulgated by entities
such as the Sex Worker’s Outreach Project (SWOP)
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and the Rose
Alliance.
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Seattle’s free weekly newspaper, The Stranger, has consistently
published articles echoing the neoliberal notion that “sex workers” are
shrewd entrepreneurs successfully navigating a market economy.
339
This
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Ane Mathieson & Anjilee Dodge, et al., Programs from Around the World, Address at
a Faceless Movement: Searching for a System that Promotes Empowerment Among All
Survivors of Gender Violence, Seattle University (Feb. 20, 2015).
335
Myani Gilbert, Address at Speak Against the Silence, the Shame, the Stigma: A
Benefit for Sexual Assault Survivors (Mar. 30, 2015).
336
On August 2, 2015, the Seattle Feminist Book Club (SFBC) watched “Hot Girls
Wanted,” a documentary about the amateur porn industry. On May 28, 2015, SFBC
discussed Pornland, a book that is critical of the sex industry, by Gail Dines. On April
30, 2015, SFBC attended a forum on prostitution policy, the sex lobby, and male
accountability. On November 18, 2014, SFBC attended the talk “For Our Daughters and
Granddaughters: Aboriginal Women and Girls & the Abolition of Prostitution.” On
September 28, 2014, SFBC watched and discussed “Buying Sex,” a documentary about
Canadian prostitution policy featuring EVE founder, Trisha Baptie. The author attended
all of these events. Past SFBC events are viewable at http://www.meetup.com/Seattle-
Feminist-Book-Club/events/past/?scroll=true#past.
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“It is past time that we decriminalize the actions of consenting adults to focus our
time, resources and energy to address the important human rights and social issues
directly.” About, S
EX WORKERS OUTREACH PROJECT, http://swop-seattle.org/about/ (last
visited Sept. 22, 2015).
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“Rose Alliance is opposed to any criminalization of sexual acts for remuneration that
take place between consenting, adult persons as well as the criminalization of third
parties.” R
OSE ALLIANCE, http://www.rosealliance.se/ (last visited Sept. 22, 2015).
339
Sydney Brownstone, Meet the Sex Workers Who Lawmakers Don’t Believe Exist, THE
STRANGER (Feb. 11, 2015),
http://www.thestranger.com/news/feature/2015/02/11/21689047/meet-the-sex-workers-
who-lawmakers-dont-believe-exist;