Published 8 February 2024
Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands
December 17th is the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers. On this day, a Red Insight crew member gave a speech at the memorial event at Belle, in Amsterdam. Red Insight shares some of Chandler’s words to honour our sex worker siblings, and the many lives lost in Palestine and around the world due to colonial violence.
In a 1991 interview, black feminist June Jordan said: “There are two issues that amount to a litmus test for morality. One is: What you’re prepared to do on behalf of the Palestinian people, and the other is: What are you prepared to do on behalf of gay and lesbian people.”
I would also ask: What are you prepared to do for sex workers? The struggle for sex workers’ freedom from violence can be likened to the fight for queer and trans peoples’ rights, and the decolonial struggle of the Palestinian people against the violence of settler occupation. I am against the obliteration of Palestinian land and homes, and the killing of generations of Palestinian families.
When commemorating the Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, I observe other violent situations around the world. The genocide in Palestine, ethnic cleansing in Sudan, horrific exploitation in the Congo, Afghan refugees being pushed out of Pakistan and made homeless, and the recent election of the far right party in Argentina.
As sex workers, I ask us to remain sensitive to these global de-colonial struggles to end mass violence. I want us to protest, to speak up against violence and injustice, and awaken our consciousness to a global, decolonial movement. I ask us to stand beside those who refuse to stay silent in the new onslaught of violent state oppression, and to support those who can guide us into a freer and safer world.
I look to Palestine with a broken heart, and a sense of solidarity as I struggle against the systemic oppressions that affect sex workers. When I speak of ending violence against sex workers, I speak to the continued fight for a decolonised world. I believe that Palestinians are not just fighting for their own liberation, but for everyones' liberation. I believe that sex workers will finally be safe when we can abolish borders and abolish police, to build anti-racist worlds for the emancipation of the Palestinian people. A world in which Palestine is free, is a world in which everyone is free.
Click here for the full speech.
