Working with Sex Workers from a Harm Reduction Perspective

1. Working with Sex Workers from a Harm Reduction Perspective Stephen Crowe, MSW Access to Care (ATC), Managing Director Harlem United Community AIDS Center, Inc. PROS Network, Co-Founder HRC Conference 2012, Portland, OR

2. Group Agreements • Step Up, Step Back • Non-Judgmental Approach • Talk with Each Other, Not at Each Other • Agree to Disagree • Confidential Space • Push

3. The term “Sex Work” • Defined by individuals engaging in sexual activities in exchange for a monetary value or other needs. • Adopted by health, labor and human rights organizations. • Neutral, descriptive and informative term that is not judgmental. • Recognizes a reality, regardless of an opinion of the term itself. • Affirms the humanity of a person.

4. Sex Work IS… • Consensual and/or non-consensual • Empowering and/or disempowering • Often illegal in the U.S. • The only or best option for some • A gateway to community health Sex work IS work

5. Sex Work IS NOT… • Human trafficking • Child labor • Only female-bodied • Risky for everyone • A gateway to drug use • Against the law everywhere

6. SEX WORK AND THE LAW • Sex work encompasses a variety of activities, most of which are legal, but some of which are illegal • Every state has its own penal code that defines what constitutes illegal conduct - these definitions vary from state to state • Prostitution, a type of sex work, is illegal in every state except Nevada, where there are some highly regulated legal brothels in smaller cities • Many states have loitering for prostitution, solicitation, and other laws primarily targeting street-based workers

7. NEW YORK STATE LAW • New York penal law defines prostitution as: “when such person engages or agrees or offers to engage in sexual conduct with another person in return for a fee.” PL 230.00 • The courts have been left to interpret what constitutes “sexual conduct” : • While there are grey areas, the following constitutes sexual conduct: oral, anal, vaginal sex, or manual stimulation of another’s genitals

8. Sex Work & Our Views Exercise

9. Sex Work & Our Views • What is your first memory of either coming into contact with someone who does sex work or hearing about someone who does sex work? • What stereotypes do you hold about sex workers, or that you have held in the past? • Where did these stereotypes come from? • Have you been able to debunk these stereotypes? How have you done that?

10. Principles of Harm Reduction • Drug use and sexual behaviors exist along a continuum • Abstinence is one of many goals, not practical for all • Drug use and sex work is what someone does, not who they are • Acknowledges reality • User-driven, client-centered, self-determination • Drug or sexual-related harm cannot be assumed • Drugs and sex can meet important needs

11. Principles of Harm Reduction • Pragmatic, not idealistic • Non-judgmental, non-punitive, non-coercive • Low-threshold • Neither condemns nor condones

12. Types of Sex Work • Street-based prostitutes/hustlers • Escorts (venue, online/internet) • Porn Stars/Actors • Lap Dancers • Strippers • Cam/Video Star/Actors • Phone Sex Operators • Fetish-based • Dominatrix/BDSM • Masseurs

13. Sex Work & Law Enforcement • High level of policing by cops and law enforcement • Experience extreme stigma and discrimination from community, society, and law enforcement • A large majority of sex workers experience fear, intimidation, violence, harassment, arrest, or humiliation by law enforcement, and other perpetrators

14. Sex Work, Condoms & Law • Confiscation and destruction of safe sex supplies by NY police and law enforcement have public health implications in a city with one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the country • “No Condoms as Evidence” Bill/Policy • Key players: Sex Workers Project at Urban Justice Center, Gay Men’s Heath Crisis (GMHC) & PROS Network

15. Sex Work & Drug Use • Crack cocaine and heroin are highest among street-based sex workers in NY • High level of detoxification, methadone maintenance, and other treatment is common and available • Street-based outreach providing harm reduction supplies and materials is highly effective

16. Myth & Reality Exercise

17. Myth & Reality Exercise • There is no good reason for anyone to go into or remain in sex work. • For many people, sex work is their best or even their only opportunity to earn enough to support their families. • Most sex workers are coerced or forced into doing it. • No evidence supports this claim. Sex workers are individuals whose reasons for engaging in sex work – and leaving it – are personal, economic, social – as complex as anyone’s reasons for involvement in any type of work.

18. Myth & Reality Exercise cont. • Allowing sex work to happen without criminalizing it will encourage human trafficking and coercion into the sex industry. • Giving sex workers more rights would likely discourage trafficking into sex work. • Demand for sex work drives human trafficking. • People are susceptible to the lies and tricks of human traffickers because they are seeking better lives, a way out of poverty, joblessness and discrimination.

19. Myth & Reality Exercise cont. • Focusing law enforcement efforts on the customers of sex workers will stop the commercial sex trade. • It is not the number of customers but economic trends and social conditions such as unemployment and a shortage of living wages that determine the number of sex workers. • Sex workers are dangerous to the general population because most have diseases – they can transmit HIV/AIDS and other STI’s. • Sex workers are often more knowledgeable about sexual health – and practice safe sex more often – than the general population.

20. Myth & Reality Exercise cont. • Raids of sex worker venues (brothels, apartments, clubs, etc) are the best way to help trafficked sex workers. • Raids of sex worker venues typically lead to arrest, detention, incarceration and deportation of people caught there.

21. Tips for Sex Workers, Their Clients & YOU

22. Tips for Sex Workers • Save Your Money • Know Your Boundaries • Know and Respect Your Work • Respect Your Customers • Develop Positive Relationships Both Inside & Outside of Your Work • Work Safely

23. Tips for Clients of Sex Workers • Do Your Research on Sexual Transactions • Ask Questions • Know and Share Your Rules • Keeping Healthy is Your Responsibility • Respect – you are paying for their time, not their lives! • Be Prepared • Reward – pay and tip well!

24. Tips for Providers & Outreach Workers • Everyone has a different story • Listen and ask questions to better understand • Sex workers may not need or want your help • What you see happening or your interpretation may not be their reality • Not everyone practices the same behaviors • Some people enjoy street work, others may not • Street workers are very cautious about who approaches them • Often the helpers cause more issues or disappear • Sex workers have good survival strategies • Be compassionate of the strategies they may use

25. More Tips for Providers & Outreach Workers • Your safety comes first, always be mindful of your boundaries • Be alert, be aware, be attentive • Be patient and work on building trust • Go slow, you may not engage the first time • Don’t lie • If you don’t know the answer, do your research or find resources • Involving the police may not be helpful • Find out if it is necessary, what is dangerous to you may not be to someone else (and vice versa)

26. Final Points • Everyone has a unique story to tell • Not all sex workers are high risk • Sex work is not necessarily a gateway • Sex work is what someone does, not who they are • Remain client-centered, empowering, and strengths-based • People who do sex work have excellent survival instincts

27. THANK YOU! Contacts: Stephen Crowe scrowe@harlemunited.org