Comments on: Explanations on demand

By: Being Amber Rhea » Blog Archive » This is what I’ve been saying… now WHY is it such a difficult concept??

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:25:36 +0000

[...] more succinctly, Lia: I’ve decided that saying that someone goes into sex work because they have been sexually abused [...]

By: Amber

Amber — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:31:35 +0000

Lia FTW!!

By: LiaStarLight

LiaStarLight — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:30:57 +0000

I’ve decided that saying that someone goes into sex work because they have been sexually abused is like saying that someone becomes a baker because their Easy Bake Oven burned them when they were a child.

By: Being Amber Rhea » Blog Archive » The BS

Being Amber Rhea » Blog Archive » The BS — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:08:44 +0000

[...] Recently I had dinner w/ Lia of Star Light Ministries. And, no surprise, she is awesome. At one point during our extended dinner conversation, we were talking about all the assumptions that are made about women in sex work, and the problem of assuming that the goal of a ministry for sex workers is for the workers to “get out” of sex work. Because as Lia said, that’s judging the work they do and therefore judging them. Plus it’s just the same old stereotypes - obviously no woman would want to be in sex work, obviously they would all do something else if only they had the chance, etc. ad nauseum. I said that even though I feel like it’s not a popular thing to say in activist communities, because I feel like it makes me look like I’m being selfish (ah, that old meme in my head) or shifting the focus, the truth is that beyond just being irritated w/ these assumptions on general principles, I also take them personally. Sex work is something I’ve been drawn to for a long time - at least 10 years - and although as of now I haven’t actually done anything about it, I do take offense to the notion that there must be some pathological explanation for my interest in sex work. I know myself, I know how I feel, and I know that I feel that sex work is something that is interesting/appealing to me. You don’t have to understand it, but hey, I don’t understand why some people want to become lawyers or sales consultants or flight attendants, so there you go. I’m smart, responsible, self-aware, capable - and I shouldn’t have to go into this defensive mode of justifying myself, but that’s how it always happens. [...]

By: Being Amber Rhea » Blog Archive » Conversation about sex work, college, money, and more

Sat, 10 May 2008 03:20:58 +0000

[...] Obviously, in every field there are people who absolutely love what they do and those who absolutely hate what they do. I think most of us fall somewhere in the middle. And yet you don’t hear people lamenting over how oppressed the receptionist is because she comes to her dull job every day simply to collect a paycheck, and would much rather be doing something else. (I blogged about this a while ago: http://www.beingamberrhea.com/2008/01/24/explanations-on-demand/) [...]

By: Being Amber Rhea » Blog Archive » More on Palfrey, feminism, etc.

Being Amber Rhea » Blog Archive » More on Palfrey, feminism, etc. — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:01:41 +0000

[...] the victim of a crime; not having people assume we have a drug habit or were abused as a child, or ask extremely personal questions the minute we mention what we do for a living; not having to worry about what to write every time [...]

By: StaceySwimme

StaceySwimme — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 01:48:48 +0000

Exactly! Thank you Amber!!!

By: antiprincess

antiprincess — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:51:00 +0000

most brilliant!

By: RenegadeEvolution

RenegadeEvolution — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:07:15 +0000

Oh, I only hate MOST people. You are not most people.

By: Amber

Amber — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:16:17 +0000

Well coming from you, Ren, the self-professed misanthrope (though I must say I beg to differ!), that means a lot. :)

Part II of this post will be coming eventually. It was originally waaaay too long, so I had to cut it into smaller sections for easy swallowing.