LOS ANGELES — BIPOC-AIC will host a virtual discussion Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. (PDT) titled "Politricks," the first of a two-part series intended to "prepare the sex work community and allies ahead of the November 3 elections."
With "Politricks," BIPOC-AIC, the Black, Indigenous and People of Color Adult Industry Collective, offers "an opportunity to hear from sex workers, educators, activists and legal experts as they unpack and analyze the impact of legislation aimed at the sex industry, often framed using an anti-trafficking guise," a rep explained.
Thursday's opening installment of "Politricks" has a planned focus on the fallout of FOSTA-SESTA and the "dangerous implications" the proposed EARN IT Act portends for all laborers in the sex and adult entertainment industries.
"Current, harmful legislation has resulted in illegitimate searches of street-based workers, raids on strip clubs and state-sanctioned violence against sex workers by law enforcement," continued the rep. "This conversation is presented by BIPOC sex workers and some of our strongest allies to help better navigate present-day politics. The panelists will provide clear and coherent information to prepare voters for the upcoming election cycle [and] insight regarding what is happening on the floors of U.S. courtrooms, Congress, the White House and the real-life impact of legislation related to sex work."
Mia Little will moderate the discussion with scheduled guests to include attorney Maxine L. Barasch, Phoenix Calida, Raani Begum, SX Noir and India Thusi.
"Technological advances are complicating, and will continue to complicate, the regulation of sex work,” said Thusi, associate professor of law at Widener University Delaware Law School. “It’s important that policymakers avoid excessive regulations that violate sex workers’ rights and make sex work more risky. They should instead be focused on making the industry safer rather than expanding the paths to incarceration."
Lee, a New York- and San Francisco-based escort, described FOSTA/SESTA as "a coarse brush for the alleged eradication of sex trafficking."
The legislation "reflects puritanical political sentiments and ultimately endangers the most vulnerable consensual sex workers," she said.
The second installment of Politricks will occur sometime in October. Follow BIPOC-AIC online and on Twitter for the latest updates.
Find additional details about "Politricks," and reserve a seat, on Eventbrite.