Sex Work

An illustration of a woman viewed from behind, seated on a pink bedspread in a room with purple, tropical-patterned wallpaper. She is wearing a floral, off-the-shoulder bra that she is slipping off her shoulders. She's wearing a matching skirt. A laptop displaying blurred content is placed in front of her, and the word "Embodied" appears in bold purple text at the top.

Audrey Smith

When you make a living doing online sex work, what happens to your offline relationship with sex and your body?

From the strip club to the studio: the history, politics and passion of pole dancing

Paige Miranda

Art, sport, workout, therapy: modern pole dancing has taken on many forms. A veteran stripper, a pole studio owner, and a young dancer discuss politics and identity in pole dancing and how practicing pole can be the ultimate form of embodiment.

An illustration of a Black woman with shoulder-length locs and a matching set of sparkly purple bra and short shorts strikes a pose on a steel pole that runs from the top of the frame to the bottom. She also wears purple makeup, purple nail polish and purple “pleaser” heels. The background is pastel purple with fluffy clouds. Running down the right side of the frame is a panel with a light purple background and flowers with the word “Gripped” in light purple.

Gripped: The Passion For Pole Dancing

Paige Miranda

Anita walked away from her first pole dancing class slightly bruised … but very intrigued. She talks with a veteran stripper about the history and politics of modern pole dancing and meets a pole sport athlete and studio owner who is trying to build an inclusive space for pole practitioners. Plus, a nonbinary pole dancer shares how their relationship with the pole has evolved alongside their gender identity.

Asian American sex worker activists and advocates are leading conversations about the role sexism, racism and sex-work discrimination played in the attacks on Atlanta-area spas.

Arts & Culture

No More Vigils: The Call For Sex Worker Protection In The Wake Of Atlanta Shootings

Kaia Findlay

The murder of eight people inside Atlanta-area spas illuminated forces of discrimination against the sex work industry and Asian American community and what is needed to shift the needle for more protective sex work legislation and policy.

A Black woman holding a megaphone and wearing a crown in New York City

Business & Economy

The Future Of Sex Work

Grant Holub-Moorman

Working from home looks a little different for sex workers. With most strip clubs closed and dancers excluded from larger pots of money in the coronavirus…

Law

Group Calls On Durham To Address Child Sex Trafficking

Jess Clark

A group of attorneys is urging the Durham city council to create a task force to fight child sex trafficking.Durham-Orange Women Attorneys—or DOWA—says…