#SWGivesStigmaTakes has pulled on my heartstrings all day long. There are so many amazing stories being shared on Twitter, and I wish I could share them all! But, that would be using others’ stories without their consent, so you’re just stuck here with my stories 🙂

As a sex worker, there are so many things I’ve learned that I never had the opportunity to learn at a vanilla job. I’ve learned more about marketing & business than I ever did in college. I’ve learned more about humanity, people, and life than I ever did in any psychology, sociology, or humanities class. Sex work has helped me acknowledge & understand my own privilege and keep it in check so as to respect PoC’s.

Without sex work, I may have never developed my business, accounting, and marketing skills. I would not have met many of my friends, nor would I have met my partner.  I learned my self worth and not to let anyone negotiate my comfort level. Many sex workers are able to pay not only their own bills, but the bills for family members. They’re able to pay off student loans, medical bills, and more. It gives people a means to leave abuse homes or move out of their parents’ house.

There are many aspects of my personal life that I wouldn’t have without sex work, but I think that it’s more than just about what sex work has done for me. Sex work provides so many non-sex workers with the ability to discover themselves and bring fantasies to life in a safe and judgement free environment. Sex workers have provided an alternate form of therapy. It has given people an outlet from reality when stress from work & “life” are too much.

There are so many stigmas that sex work has given too, though. For me, when I came out to past dates that I’m a sex worker, they’ve instantly attempted to objectify me or save me. My life choices have meant that I have to use a stage name to protect my friends & family from unwanted attention. That my future career choices (if I decide to stop being a sex worker) are limited. That my persona will always be online, even if/when I’m gone. That people use me and every other sex worker as a scapegoat for the problems of humanity.

Sex workers face so much stigma because of our career choices. Many face real danger on our lives. Many face firing from future vanilla day jobs. The list goes on and on. Anyway, I want to shed more light on the stories of others. Check out #SWGivesStigmaTakes on Twitter for yourself, and see the amazing stories being shared!