Journalist Xanthe Whittaker will be speaking on the nature of sex in an ideal society at Sex on Trial tomorrow at Bethnal Green’s Resistance Gallery.
Xanthe along with academic Gareth Dale published an article in The International Socialism Journal entitled A Response to the Sex Work Debate which examined the role of sex workers with regards to capitalist wage labour.
They argued:
many [sex workers] are wage workers within a capitalist labour process, including workers in brothels, escort agencies, lap dancing clubs, and the pornography industry.
The articles concludes that it is the role of activists to form solidarity with sex workers and encourage their involvement in trade unions, using the International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW) – now a branch of the GMB union – as an example. In the same year as the article sex workers led the May Day march in London, after many faced police interrogation beforehand.
Sex on Trial will see the above issues raised alongside such areas as sexual consent, ‘healthy’ and ‘normal’ sex, and sex education. ‘Speed debating’ will accompany live music, poetry, theatre performance, postcard artwork from artist Alex Brew and an accepting and open debate amongst equals. Xanthe’s area of discussion will also be accompanied by the artist and activist Nor, and Ms Tytania speaking on Urban Chick Supremacy and the SCUM Manifesto.
The subject of the sex industry will also play a major part, with a pre-recorded Skype interview with Kitty Stryker – sex worker and activist and a founding member of the Kinky Salon London and worker for the Bureau of Erotic Discourse – being shown.
For those have not yet purchased their tickets, please do so here. There will be free food goodie bags provided for all mutineers.
Entry to the afternoon seminar is free. Tickets for the evening event are £5 buy-one-get-one-free in advance online or £5/3 on the door. If you attend the afternoon seminar event you will be entitled to concession price entry to the evening event (£3).
