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This thread is written with the permission of the moderator Osric Melkire.
Hello! You may know me from my art, my characters in game, or not at all because I can be a recluse of the non-venomous sort. Either way, I would like to talk to you all about something important to me and several members of the community; harmful language towards and about Sexworkers.
I am a sexworker; I work as a phone-sex operator and used to do live-camera modeling. My mother was a sexworker, a stripper, for a majority of my young childhood. I also know others who work in the sex trade, from fellow phone-sex operators to strippers to escorts and sugar
babies. I even know some here in the RPC and FFXIV community.
It is because of this that I have to speak up and let people know that some language in regards to sex-work is not okay and is harmful to us. I know that not many people are well versed on this. It's not a topic that comes up very often unless you're a part of the community of sex-work. It is, however, important to learn and respect these things to prevent a hostile environment for a marginalized subsection of people.
I will explain why some words are considered slurs against sexworkers, and hope you understand enough to at least help make this site a safer place for some of its members. Please remember; while some words were acceptable to use in history, we are becoming more aware of those that are derogatory towards groups and learning to change our language.
Prostitute and Prostitution are slurs.
The word prostitute was not originally meant to describe a sexworker, only beginning to be used for such in the 16th-17th centuries. It has always had a derogatory meaning; it’s Latin roots meaning to debase and expose oneself shamefully for gain. It’s still used in this way today, which makes its use for sex-work all the more inappropriate. However, its use as a legal term gives the term the appearance of neutrality. This is a bit like thinking it’s okay to call gay people Sodomites because of the existence of sodomy laws.
Hooker is a slur.
A person of disreputable morals, ‘hooking’ or ensnaring their patrons. It’s implications, that sexworkers are dirty and immoral, are obviously not acceptable to describe a person or their work.
Whore is a slur.
I should not have to explain this one, but I will just in case.
The word whore is used against many people in an attempt to shame them, to equate them to the immoral and dirty sexworker. It’s used as an attack on both sexuality and the bodily autonomy of sexworkers.
Street-walker is a slur.
Street-walker is used to attack the most marginalized members of the sex-work umbrella. Even in other sex-work spaces, those that are outdoors tend to be ridiculed and treated as if they are lesser. It’s not a description of their work.
What are acceptable terms then?
Sexworker
Sexworker is an umbrella term for those in the sex trade. This is a general term that recognized that those in the trade are doing legitimate work.
Full Service Sexworker/FS Sex worker
This is used specifically for those who partake in physical intimacy with their clients for money.
Outdoor Sexworker / Street based sexworker
A more respectful way to describe a FS sexworker who works outdoors.
Escort
This term was used to separate the sex-work community from the derogatory term prostitute.
You may not agree with sex-work. That is okay. You do not have to. It is, however, not your say in which words should and should not be accepted. Just because you do not like the work, be it pornography or stripping, that doesn’t give you the right to degrade another human being on their choices.
Now, you may be expecting me to also tell you to stop saying certain words while in character.
I’m not going to.
I understand that sometimes characters are not good people and that some words are used in the game itself. That’s okay. I played a slaver when I first started here- that does not mean I condone slavery or trafficking in real life.
This is about making players feel safe, the same way LGBTQ or PoC should feel safe through the education of harmful language.
If you are interested in learning more and have questions, please feel free to PM me. I am more than happy to help people understand the work itself so long as they remain respectful and open minded enough to listen. Please do not try to debate in the thread.
Hello! You may know me from my art, my characters in game, or not at all because I can be a recluse of the non-venomous sort. Either way, I would like to talk to you all about something important to me and several members of the community; harmful language towards and about Sexworkers.
I am a sexworker; I work as a phone-sex operator and used to do live-camera modeling. My mother was a sexworker, a stripper, for a majority of my young childhood. I also know others who work in the sex trade, from fellow phone-sex operators to strippers to escorts and sugar
babies. I even know some here in the RPC and FFXIV community.
It is because of this that I have to speak up and let people know that some language in regards to sex-work is not okay and is harmful to us. I know that not many people are well versed on this. It's not a topic that comes up very often unless you're a part of the community of sex-work. It is, however, important to learn and respect these things to prevent a hostile environment for a marginalized subsection of people.
I will explain why some words are considered slurs against sexworkers, and hope you understand enough to at least help make this site a safer place for some of its members. Please remember; while some words were acceptable to use in history, we are becoming more aware of those that are derogatory towards groups and learning to change our language.
Prostitute and Prostitution are slurs.
The word prostitute was not originally meant to describe a sexworker, only beginning to be used for such in the 16th-17th centuries. It has always had a derogatory meaning; it’s Latin roots meaning to debase and expose oneself shamefully for gain. It’s still used in this way today, which makes its use for sex-work all the more inappropriate. However, its use as a legal term gives the term the appearance of neutrality. This is a bit like thinking it’s okay to call gay people Sodomites because of the existence of sodomy laws.
Hooker is a slur.
A person of disreputable morals, ‘hooking’ or ensnaring their patrons. It’s implications, that sexworkers are dirty and immoral, are obviously not acceptable to describe a person or their work.
Whore is a slur.
I should not have to explain this one, but I will just in case.
The word whore is used against many people in an attempt to shame them, to equate them to the immoral and dirty sexworker. It’s used as an attack on both sexuality and the bodily autonomy of sexworkers.
Street-walker is a slur.
Street-walker is used to attack the most marginalized members of the sex-work umbrella. Even in other sex-work spaces, those that are outdoors tend to be ridiculed and treated as if they are lesser. It’s not a description of their work.
What are acceptable terms then?
Sexworker
Sexworker is an umbrella term for those in the sex trade. This is a general term that recognized that those in the trade are doing legitimate work.
Full Service Sexworker/FS Sex worker
This is used specifically for those who partake in physical intimacy with their clients for money.
Outdoor Sexworker / Street based sexworker
A more respectful way to describe a FS sexworker who works outdoors.
Escort
This term was used to separate the sex-work community from the derogatory term prostitute.
You may not agree with sex-work. That is okay. You do not have to. It is, however, not your say in which words should and should not be accepted. Just because you do not like the work, be it pornography or stripping, that doesn’t give you the right to degrade another human being on their choices.
Now, you may be expecting me to also tell you to stop saying certain words while in character.
I’m not going to.
I understand that sometimes characters are not good people and that some words are used in the game itself. That’s okay. I played a slaver when I first started here- that does not mean I condone slavery or trafficking in real life.
This is about making players feel safe, the same way LGBTQ or PoC should feel safe through the education of harmful language.
If you are interested in learning more and have questions, please feel free to PM me. I am more than happy to help people understand the work itself so long as they remain respectful and open minded enough to listen. Please do not try to debate in the thread.
![[Image: hFalP38.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/hFalP38.jpg)
