The Hofstra
HEMPSTEAD, NY VOL. 79
Issue 21
Chronicle
THURSDAY April 3, 2014
KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935
Photo by Che Sullivan Audacia Ray spoke to Hofstra students about sex work on Tuesday night during an event hosted by Women of Action in the Student Center Theater.
Former sex worker shares story By Ehlayna Napolitano news editor
There is no real answer to the question of whether sex work is empowering or degrading. Because of this ambiguity, the question set the stage on Tuesday night, as former sex worker and current activist Audacia Ray spoke to a small group of Hofstra students as part of an event held by Women of Action. The intimate setting allowed for an interactive
event that allowed students to ask questions throughout. The term “sex work” first came into existence in the 1970s to mean the consensual exchange of sex, according to Audacia Ray, the founder of the Red Umbrella Project. The organization is a nonprofit that works to support those in the sex industry and is currently in its fourth year of existence. The sex industry is one that has long been characterized by
cultural stigma and judgment. Furthermore, there is a misconception that sex work is solely prostitution; however, the industry also encompasses stripping, porn, phone sex and fetish labor. Not all the aspects of sex work are illegal, it is important to note. In spite of the broadness of the term, though, many in the industry still do not use the term to self-identify. “Stigma is the main reason people treat sex workers
differently … that drives a lot of the feelings people have about the sex industry,” Ray said. Many times, Ray said, workers in the industry have a fluid relationship with their profession. It often supplements other work, or is used in a pinch. People “flow” in and out of the field. It is often said that sex work can be a dangerous field, one that violence permeates. Ray said that while this can be true, the violence comes from a source that many
might not expect. “The violence that most sex workers identify is from the police,” Ray said. The relationship between sex workers and police is naturally fraught with tension, but things are exasperated by New York
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