Published 20 November 2022
Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands
Vera Rodriguez has been documenting many aspects of sex work, drawing from her own experiences and that of the community, for the past twenty years. Her new website showcases a personal selection of videos and photos, spanning sex work experiences, art and activism across Europe.
Her photos detail how the industry has changed over the years, capturing unique historical moments as sex work venues are gentrified out of existence and new technology steps in to move the work online.
The portfolio features behind the scenes shots from working in peep shows, strip clubs and brothels, along with an exploration of fetish and BDSM subcultures, and the creation of sex worker collectives who go on to protest and party together. Vera’s work has been featured in many events, exhibitions, and media outlets, and Red Insight is proud to present this retrospective online collection from twenty years of documentation in the industry.
Pictured below is a selection of images from the boat for LGBTQ+ sex workers and allies, at Amsterdam Pride in 2018. The fight for LGBTQ+ rights and sex worker rights often goes hand in hand, since our community is made up of many queer people, trans people and gay men standing alongside women workers. Vera adds: “I wanted to show the joy of being visible, queer and a sex worker. We are bright red and full of pride and love, together in front of around 500,000 people. It was a very joyous day, and I hope the pictures capture that.”
Photos by Vera Rodriguez. Words by Cass Traitor.
