Thread by @vagina_museum

The first International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers #IDEVASW was held in 2003.

In this thread, I’ll explain a little more about why the day exists, and what it means in its 19th year.

Cw: violence and murder

A thread 🧵:
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1/12

#IDEVASW was created in response to the murder of 49 sex workers in Seattle, Washington. The perpetrator is suspected of killing at least 22 more, though has not been convicted of these. (NUM)

2/12

The day began as a memorial and a vigil for those lost to one man’s particular act of violence, organised by @AnnieSprinkle and @swopusa.
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3/12

Sprinkle wrote in an open letter:

“I felt a need to memorialize my whore sisters that had died so horribly and needlessly. I cared, and I knew other people cared too.” (NUM)

4/12

As part of this letter, she invited sex workers and allies around the world to host their own acts of memorial - individually, and with others in their communities. (NUM)

5/12

In the following years, #IDEVASW grew to become a truly global event for the sex worker community.

In other examples Sprinkle gives:

- Sex workers in San Francisco held an open-mic vigil on the lawn of the City Hall
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6/12

- Sex workers in Montreal marched through the city with red umbrellas, a symbol of the sex workers’ rights movement
- Sex workers in Hong Kong protested police brutality
- Sex workers in Vancouver held a candlelight vigil
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7/12

- Sex workers in London handed out info on sex workers’ rights while singing carols
- Sex workers in East Godavery organised a dance to heal from trauma together
- Sex workers in Washington DC marched on the US capital to demand an end to violent laws and policies
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8/12

Part of #IDEVASW is about mourning. It’s about remembering those in our community that have been lost to violence, and whose lives were needlessly cut short. (NUM)

9/12

However, it’s also about fighting for change.

It’s sex workers and allies amplifying their demands for right and justice.

It’s calling on law and policymakers to respect sex workers as valued members of our communities, worthy of safety and protection. (NUM)

10/12

It’s calling on society as a whole to listen to sex workers, to uplift their voices, to recognise them as experts on their lives and needs, and to end the conditions which place them at risk of exceptional harm and violence. (NUM)

11/12

Today we remember those we have lost, and we resolve to continue fighting so that no more lives are needlessly cut short. (NUM)

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