i’m a (retired?) sex worker and miss saigon tells lies about me!

i am not dead nor do i wish to die. my experiences in sex work give me power and demonstrate my resilience. sex work was not always good to me and i know for many people sex work is not a matter of choice. rather than honoring the diversity of experiences within sex work by allowing us to tell our own stories from our perspectives, miss saigon does violence to our communities by furthering the genocidal vision of sex work as a clear path to death.

i am alive and it is because of sex work. sex work allowed me to take care of and support myself when i had few other options. sex work was not a bleak reality for me, it was my choice and it was the right choice for me at that time. sex work was not an effort to gain a rich, male, white savior to protect me from the world - it was the action i took to save myself.

miss saigon propagates a tired and cliche portrayal of sex workers, the same abolitionist portrayal that has resulted in the criminalization, stigmatization, oppression and erasure of sex workers and our stories. rather than spending money to hear more of the inaccurate and messed up messages on sex work and sex workers that are abundantly available for free in mainstream culture, support sex workers telling our own stories, from our own perspectives and our own voices - at a fraction of the cost of a ticket to see miss saigon. i’m participating in a documentary film project where myself and six other sex workers tell stories about our experiences in sex work! learn more about the project here: http://www.redumbrelladiaries.com/

or, spend your money to pay for a local sex worker’s time and they will show you what it *really* means to be a sex worker. let me know if you’d like a recommendation for a reputable provider in your area! don’t believe the lies of miss saigon - sex workers are alive and thriving in your community, willing and able to speak our own truths!