Trigger warning!



The following article might be triggering for some people depending on past experiences. Please read with caution, go back to the home page, or look at something nice.





“ [S]ex work is problematic because of its location in the matrix of oppression. Shift the matrix, or shift sex work out of that position, and sex work no longer functions as patriarchy-supporting, problematic work. ” —Jadehawk[1]

[wp] International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

Whorephobia or whoremisia is the hatred of, oppression of, violence towards, and discrimination against sex workers; and by extension derision or disgust towards activities or attire related to sex work.

Treating sex workers with suspicion, disgust, extreme violence, and erasing their experiences has a long history. Sex workers are "used to being a scapegoat, to being shunned, even by those who claim to stand up for women."[2]

Examples

Examples of both explicit and implicit whorephobia can be found everywhere from the use of "whore" as an insult and stigmatising pole dancing, to police brutality,[3] serial killers,[4] cultural norms,[5] and health care:

Eden Alexander is a camgirl and porn performer working in the Bay Area. In the early spring of 2014, Alexander went to the doctor after a bad reaction to some routine prescribed medication. Because she is a sex worker, the doctors allegedly dismissed her initial symptoms as evidence of drug use. In fact, Alexander had a skin infection which, left untreated, ran rampant through her body, triggering an existing thyroid condition and sending her into a coma.[2]

See also