Sex Worker Rights Music Video

The San Francisco Sex Worker Film and Arts Festival premieres this sex worker anthem, Courtney Trouble's "The Burnout," a music video by Scarlot Harlot and Courtney Trouble in English, Chinese and Thai (at http://blip.tv/file/714732)
In this video, a 'day in Courtney's life' parallels her journey from phone sex to sexual representation/pornography as well as her political journey, interwoven with sex worker demonstrations, clips and photos from organizations listed here.

This music video reflects a personal and local story, and a political story that reaches out to individuals and organizations which resist discrimination and work towards social justice and human rights for sex workers. Many find a common voice in Courtney Trouble's frustration, pride and defiance.

"How soon I got over, waiting alone at home for the telephone. Why do you care...you can't see me...don't wanna know me at all but I know you wanna get off."

Trouble's frustration evolves into a recognition of her mission to 'seize the means of production.'

"It's just like anything else, it's just a job, but we've got the guts to profit off our own skin. They won't acknowledge us until we own enough to control it. They won't respect us until we give them no other choice."


The makers wish to thank and acknowledge the sex worker activists around the world for their work and inspiration.

Also visit Sex Workers Present at blip TV
from APNSW, to view many sex worker videos
including Taking The Pledge
from the Network of Sex Work Projects.


Courtney Trouble has also been an artist, singer, designer, and photographer for many years. Her work can be viewed at www.courtneytrouble.com.

Filmmaker Carol Leigh AKA Scarlot Harlot has been a sex worker and activist since the late seventies. A poet and performance artist, she coined the term "sex worker" in 1979. She was recently awarded a Creative Work Fund Award to compile her sex worker documentaries as part of the library at the Center for Sex and Culture (www.sexandculture.org). "Unrepentant Whore: The Collected Work of Scarlot Harlot" was published by Last Gasp. For more info, visit her websites at www.bayswan.org/penet.html and www.unrepentantwhore.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• sex
• work
• prostitution
• prostitute
• hooker
• rights
• politics
• feminism

[dreamedblue]

Wow, the bridge sums up exactly how I feel... Thank you for this.

[ScarlotHarlotTV]

@dreamedblue

Thanks very much.  That's good to hear!

[ScarlotHarlotTV]

Oops!  I accidentally removed the comment I was responding to...

[ScarlotHarlotTV]

This is a complicated issue that you raised and I wanted to write about it:

As you might know the spirit Courtney expresses is not uncommon. One could expect sex workers to always issue a disclaimer when they express this spirit, but for a number of reasons I don't think that is even the 'politically correct' approach.

[ScarlotHarlotTV]

We see much evidence that society uses the suffering within our industry as a weapon against sex workers, an excuse to further criminalize, and to shame us. At the same time society, cultures, countries, armies use prostitution against women (and men, young people etc) through forced prostitution, among other ways.

[ScarlotHarlotTV]

I think that there needs to be a space for sex workers to produce cultural expressions of these feelings without including disclaimers especially in light of the tendency of society to use our suffering against us. The image of someone forced into prostitution is used to obscure self-reliance, courage and a rejection of mainstream sexual stigmas. It's also important to discuss these abuses, to help people in need, and to improve conditions in these contexts.

[lamarimpala]

i support sex worker rights

[CatpurrRobertaBobbi]

Not buying it. Women and men who want to support sex as a way to make money are pimps. Its a dead end way of life. You will get hurt. We owe it to all women and male sex workers to let them know that they are worth more than just being a sex toy for someone. You may rent their body but you cant buy their soul.

[mmnmj8893]

I used this video in a speech I gave for legalizing prostitution in human sexuality a year ago and now I am going to use it in a speech for rhetoric and arguementation. You rock!!

[logos416]

Was at the conference at University of Toronto, this is a great video. Your presentation was fantastic and very enlightening. Thanks!