We are queer.red presents! and we are an initiative on sex worker film & arts in Amsterdam. By promoting visual arts about, with, and by the sex worker community we hope to contribute to greater visibility of a more nuanced representation of sex work. We are a group of (former) sex workers, feminists, queer and trans people.

If you are part of our community, or up for making acquaintance with sex workers and all the cultural goodies that are produced by our communities: come to our screening on 11 June at 20:00 at Filmhuis Cavia!

During this event we present films that focus on the intersections of sex work, trans, Latinx and migrant communities. We will screen the film Caer/Caught (61 min) by Nicola Mai and Colectivo Intercultural Transgrediendo and What if Tomorrow I’m Next (4 min) by Cosmopolitrans (with support from Papaya Kuir). A panel discussion with the film makers will follow in order to further explore the experimental nature of Caer and the collaborative process of community-led storytelling in both films. The discussion is facilitated by queer.red Board Member Domi Olivieri, anthropologist, activist, researcher and teacher in the field of gender studies, media and society and will be pre-recorded to accommodate time zones, languages, and technical limitations.

CAER/Caught (Nicola Mai, 2021, UK, 61 min, English/Spanish) is an experimental and collaborative documentary combining fiction (ethnofiction) and observational nonfiction methods to include people whose lives are portrayed and who are directly concerned in all phases of its production. The documentary is the result of the collaboration between Nicola Mai and the Transgrediendo Intercultural Collective, a grassroots nonprofit organization defending the rights of transgender Latina migrant women in Queens, New York City. CAER is also a tribute to the work and legacy of Lorena Borjas, the mother of these Latin transgender women living in Queens, who was one of the first victims of COVID-19 in New York in March 2020. The story and the roles in the film were written and played by members of the Transgrediendo Intercultural Collective who were also involved in the editing of the film. They were written collaboratively through several writing workshops allowing the people directly concerned to express their real individual and collective experiences of migration, sex work, and exploitation.

What if Tomorrow I’m Next (Cosmopolitrans, 2021, GER/NL, 4 min, English/Spanish) is a film made by Cosmopolitrans to show how trans people are killed independently of how they dress or the work they engage with. It was recorded at the T-House in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in May 2021. Cosmopolitrans is a collective made of migrant trans sex workers, living and/or transiting in Germany. They work with members of the migrant trans community, paying close attention to the needs and special circumstances of each of their members. They work on topics such as education, developing skills, empowerment and community building. Also cultural events for and by the community and (monitoring) and support to trans sex workers in their work places, providing material for protection, for sex work, as well as anti-covid material.

Event details:
Filmhuis Cavia address: Van Hallstraat 52-I, 1051 HH Amsterdam
Tickets € 5 / Cineville €0
Start screening: 20:00
Drinks at the bar: 22:00
No reservations needed, but if you want to be sure of a ticket please email us and be on time! ticket@queer.red

JOIN US FOR INTERNATIONAL WHORES’ DAY 2022 IN LA!

On June 2, 1975, over 100 sex workers began an eight-day occupation at the Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France. They demanded the end of fines, stigma, police harassment, and the release of 10 sex workers who had been imprisoned a few days earlier for soliciting. June 2nd has since become a benchmark day for honoring sex workers all over the globe and recognizing their often-exploited working conditions. 

On International Wh*res’ Day 2022, Los Angeles’ The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and Kink Out, in collaboration with Free Speech Coalition and Strippers United, are creating a space for sex worker rights orgs and allies to come together.

OUR PROGRAM FEATURES:

• Hosting by Emcee Natalie ’NatsHoney’ Clark

• Contributions from Sinnamon Love and Lotus Lain

• DJ set by Ethical Drvgs

• Pole performance by members of Strippers United

• Food courtesy of Detroit Vesey

• Organizers actively involved in sex work policy and other community speakers

• Merch, information, and solidarity tables by amazing local organizations!

Our IWD LA 2022 event sparks the ongoing conversations and collaborations that will take many forms and formats over time between MOCA and Kink Out, as we continue to bring people of intersectional identities with lived experience in BDSM culture together to share art, activism, work, and conversation.

WE WANT TO PROMOTE YOUR EVENT!

If you or orgs you know are hosting IWD events around the world, please send us info, links, and/or graphics for promotion here on the IWD website.

OUR IWD 2022 COALITION

Kink Out

Kink Out produces events that bring people of intersectional identities with lived experience in BDSM culture together to share art, activism, work, and conversation. Kink Out creates spaces for diverse leather and kink communities to celebrate and build alliances with each other. Events are helmed by rotating contributors who are queer, sex workers, people of color, trans, femme, butch, gender non-conforming, disabled, parents, non-monogamous, fat, elders, and/or leather dykes/fags.

Free Speech Coalition

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is the trade association of the adult entertainment industry in the US. FSC protects the rights and freedoms of workers and businesses in the adult industry, which is home to some of the world’s greatest innovators and thought leaders. FSC takes pride in fighting to alleviate the social stigma, misinformation, and discriminatory policies that affect those who work in and adjacent to the adult industry. Our vision is a world in which body sovereignty is recognized, sexual expression is destigmatized, and sex work is decriminalized.

Strippers United

Strippers United is a diverse and inclusive community of empowered strippers who share an uncompromised vision for our rights, our vital role in society, and our dignity as professionals. Our focus is to create safe and equitable work environments for strippers across the U.S. We represent all strippers – regardless of race, gender, age, education, ability, citizenship status, sexual orientation, and income level – and advocate for the diverse community of people who call themselves strippers. Our vision is to dismantle whorephobia and decriminalize sex work.

Bring an object that contributes to the empowerment, protection, or prosperity of sex workers for the purpose of constructing a community altar. Then join Black sex worker advocates in conversation as they ponder pressing matters pertaining to the sex workers rights movement.

Reflect on the question: how will society benefit when sex work is decriminalized? And come prepared with examples of how you've benefited from sex workers past and present.

Featuring Zola Z Bruce, moderated by Tahtianna Fermin, and organized by jodi nicole.

flyer: September Reigns

On June 2 from 3-6 pm, Veil Machine presents "The International Whore Exchange," an NYC sex worker artist salon for International Whore's Day. Artists are encouraged to bring work they've made or plan to make that speaks to the theme of "exchange". This event is sex worker only with limited capacity. Vax + booster required. Email veilmachine.nyc@gmail.com to RSVP.

12 pm sharp! 51 Park Place, Newark, NJ

A mile long march will be lead by @qween_jean ending at Newark City Hall at 3 pm sharp

Light refreshments served.

organized by TGNC Bridges for Life and Black Trans Liberation

This IWD, Vixen invites sex workers in Victoria to join us for a day of arts, crafts, and afternoon tea.

On June 2nd, 1975, prostitutes in France went on strike and occupied churches across the country to demand better working conditions and an end to police violence and arrests. The strikes lasted for 8 days before the workers were cleared out by police. These protests birthed the modern sex worker rights movement. The 2nd of June has since been known as International Wh/0r/3’s Day and is observed by sex workers globally through celebration and protest.

From 11am until 1pm, workers are invited to express their Whore Pride through art and craft. From 1pm until 3pm, we’ll be discussing the history and future of IWD over tea, coffee, and snacks.

We’d love to see you all there! ❤️

SWOP LA and Ashley Madness are hosting a community day gathering on Zoom from 4-8pm PST.

For sex workers and SWOP members. See you there 💜

DM SWOP LA for meeting info.