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This weekend has been incredibly challenging for many of us. This account is for me to share my art primarily so I do not wish to be in the center of a controversy, yet I think it's really important for me to express where I stand. Many workers confided in me that they were afraid of going to work and scared by the possible consequences of this strike, which I realize now was organized by a small group of people alone. I have many people in my thoughts including friends who are no longer with us and old friends I am unfortunately not on good terms with. 💔

The conversations I've had really highlighted the importance of developing skills in order to organize properly, such as conflict resolution and approaching many different people and considering their needs.

It's really hard to organize as sw'rs because we all come from very different backgrounds and we all have very different identities. It can lead to ideological differences and misunderstandings. We are all seen as indesirable by society to a degree. The rise of fascism, misogyny and violence makes all of us anxious, and various systems of oppression pit us against each other. There is a wave of swerf discourse by people who are completely missing the point.

What is certain to me is that the majority of sw'rs want decriminalization and not the status of legal employees, for very good reasons. We also want more resources for mental & physical health, housing, and much more.. SW is real work but it's not like any other job. It has particularities, and there are reasons why we end up in this industry, it's important to remember that. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, we are dealing with something complex here.

In order to start a movement, you have to make sure that the majority of workers are on board with it. In this case, many people were not listened to. I don't want to demonize anyone or encourage gossip and petty conflict because I've seen enough of it and I don't have the energy to entertain that type of bs anymore. If you want to be part of a community, you have to have difficult conversations and see the big picture when you want to plan something like a strike.

A few months ago, I was asked to contribute to the aesthetics of a campaign around the F1 and SW rights by Cats, and I accepted with joy. I was naive, didn't ask the right questions and I wasn't aware of the turn this would take. I initially thought the strike was an interesting idea and I was glad the focus would shift from stories of trauma and exploitation to a straightforward discussion about working conditions in the industry. However I had no idea what the demands of the Cats were and it was brought to my attention that this was currently all over the media and that posters with my art on them were placed near massage parlours and strip clubs, putting me on the spot and exposing workers to potential issues.

I am not a member of Cats but I have always believed that the group promoted decrim and would never use tactics that would exclude people who can't or don't want to be considered official workers. I am one of those people, having been on disability for over a decade and 0 civilian work experience since 2012. I had to go live to apologize to the community, particularly the most marginalized members of it, who could be hurt by these demands. I had to explain my experiences in the industry to legitimize myself and my entire family now knows what my job is, which is mortifying. I have never been to one of the Cats reunions so I had absolutely no idea what was going on until a couple days ago.

The more I find out about the way this has been handled, the more I am shocked and disappointed, particularly knowing that marginalized workers have not been heard or included at all. I wish I had been made aware of this conflict sooner, but nobody contacted me and talked to me about it. I have deleted the video I made yesterday because it made me feel overly exposed, but I do not agree with what is going on, and I really hope fruitful conversations will come out of this and better solutions. Legalization is not what most workers want and I do not understand how "being recognized as legitimate employees" is different. Almost all of us agree that decriminalization of SW is the way to go.

Il y a quelques mois, on m'a contacté pour me demander la permission d'utiliser certains de mes dessins pour une campagne du Cats. Je suis pour la décriminalisation, et j'ai accepté de bon cœur. Initialement, je trouvais qu'une grève serait une bonne idée, car je faisais preuve de naïveté et je ne connaissais pas les revendications ni comment les choses allaient se dérouler. Je ne savais pas qu'il y aurait autant d'attention médiatique et que des affiches montrant mes dessins seraient placées près de bars de danseuses et de salons de massage, me mettant dans une position vulnérable et exposant les travailleuses de ces établissements à des questionnements et possiblement de la violence.

J'ai dû faire un live pour parler de mes expériences dans l'industrie et m'excuser à la communauté, surtout aux personnes les plus marginalisées qui ne sont pas en accord avec les demandes du Cats et n'ont pas été entendues par eux, ce qui m'a beaucoup fâché et déçu. Au final toute ma famille est au courant, et je me suis fait harceler en messages privés par des hommes. J'ai supprimé la vidéo car elle est trop compromettante pour moi mais je tiens à expliquer que je ne suis pas membre du Cats, je ne me suis jamais rendu à leur réunions et je n'étais pas au courant des tensions dans la communauté avant la semaine dernière.

Personne ne m'en a parlé ce qui m'attriste beaucoup, je ne me sens pas respecté et j'ai peur des répercussions sur les autres travailleurs et travailleuses de l'industrie. Car je ne crois pas que le statut d'employé dans les salons et les bars soit une bonne idée. Le Cats dit vouloir la décrim du TDS mais je ne comprends pas en quoi ce move va en ce sens. La légalisation serait nocive pour plusieurs personnes de l'industrie, moi inclus. Je trouve dommage ce manque de communication, je me retrouve exposé de façon extrêmement inconfortable et j'espère que d'autres solutions seront proposées.

Bien que ces événements aient beaucoup affecté ma santé mentale dans les derniers jours, je suis disponible pour répondre aux questions ou avoir une conversation respectueuse.

Nerdy cat boy & alien domme
6$

Snake girl & power nurse glitter stickers
6$ each

Art Prints for Mutual Aid Artist Spotlight: Tiger Opal

@tiger.opal

These are limited quantity! Get these and other wonderful art from equally wonderful artists at https://www.artprintsformutualaid.org. All proceeds go to Cairo Mutual Aid, who are on the ground in Egypt helping Gazan refugees.

7 of pentacles