It was late on a Friday afternoon and sex workers from all over the country had taken over an Irish Pub in Capitol Hill. Surrounded by government employees having drinks to celebrate the end of yet another week, we were talking about our work, the success we had just had, and how we can support each other moving forward. Taken in by the magnitude of the moment, I couldn’t help but think of everything that had led us here.

Anna Moone is an activist, porn performer, and cam model. In her spare time she is also a writer and a graduate student. She is passionate about her work, her cat, and her views on craft beer. You can follow her on Twitter at @annamoonesyou

I am a proud sex worker; I am a cam girl, and I make queer porn. I also have a strong background in community organizing. I lived in Washington, DC for five years and was involved in all sorts of activism while living there. I am no stranger to Congress; I’ve engaged in direct action both outside and inside congressional halls. I’d long since moved away from DC, but when I heard that sex workers were gathering in Washington to make change, I knew I had to join. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to stand up and fight for my community.

And so, on June 1, I was one of approximately 40 sex workers from all over the country who converged on Washington DC to make history. For the first time ever, sex workers were a lobbying force in the halls of Congress.

Our goal was to begin the process of building relationships with our representatives, to have Congress view us as a community that they represent and must be accountable to when drafting legislation. It is so easy to “otherize” a marginalized community when you don’t personally know—or think you don’t personally know—someone from that community. Our mere presence meant that our representatives couldn’t pretend we don’t exist anymore. While we didn’t come with a specific legislative agenda, we did come with a message: We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere!

I expected these meetings to be an uphill battle of fighting for our humanity, but we all left the meeting feeling surprisingly hopefully about our prospects for the day