Festival Of Sex Work 2013

Hey check out the our NEW website for details of the 2013 Festival of Sex Work: festivalofsexwork.com 

Festival of Sex Work on The Project (Channel 10)

Rachel Wotton and Christian talking about sex work, decriminalisation and anti-discrimination legislation on national prime time TV. Special appearance by Janelle Fawkes, CEO of the Scarlet Alliance, the National Association of Australian Sex Workers www.scarletalliance.org.au

Festival of Sex Work in The Age

Sex workers shine light on their trade with Q&A

Kylie Northover

May 30, 2012

Forum: Angela White, Cassie and Christian. Photo: Craig Abraham

A PORN star, an escort, a tantric practitioner, a dominatrix and a rent boy walk into a bar … and willingly answer any question thrown at them.

At least that's what happened last night at a public forum in the Secret Society Bar in Bourke Street.

In a bid to demystify their profession, the sex workers appeared on a panel open to the public, as part of this week's Festival of Sex Work, the first festival of its kind in Australia.

Organised by Vixen, a collective of current and former sex workers who promote civil rights in the industry, the impetus for the festival was to give a voice to sex workers. The festival receives no corporate sponsorship or government funding.

Last night's event, Ask A Sex Worker A Question, invited members of the public to ask any question in exchange for a gold coin donation.

''We're tired of other people talking about us,'' said event co-organiser Tabitha. ''We're a very diverse group of workers.''

The stars of last night's panel were Australian adult actor Angela White, our most popular internet porn star, and dominatrix Lady Ambrosia Noir, who, along with the rest of the panel answered questions about their ideal day at work, labour rights in the industry and depictions of sex workers.

The Age asked the panel about the portrayal of sex workers in the Craig Thomson scandal.

Private escort Cassie said she found the emphasis on Thomson's alleged use of sex workers, rather than of misusing his credit card, offensive.

''Particularly the way most media threw around the term 'hooker'. Sex work is a legal service,'' she said. Male escort Christian, who has worked in the industry for 15 years, said: ''We want people to hear from us, instead of thinking they can speak on our behalf.''

Other events at this week's festival included a historical sex work walking tour of the city, a forum today at Melbourne University on sex work policy and law, a film screening at ACMI and workshops for sex workers.

The festival culminates with International Whores' Day on Saturday, a celebration of sex workers' rights, celebrated locally with a Red Umbrella Rally on the steps of Parliament House.

''There's a lot of stigma around that word,'' said Tabitha.

''We're trying to reclaim it back for ourselves.''

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sex-workers-shine-light-on-their-trade-with-qa-20120529-1zhqk.html

Festival of Sex Work on the Naughty Rude Show!

The Naughty Rude Show

Festival of Sex Work

Submitted by patricianiklas on Wed, 06/06/2012 - 10:29

We chat to Christian, Nada and Leni from the inaugural Festival of Sex Work. We discuss the events of the festival, why it's important for sex workers to tell their own stories, and why sex  workers are called sex workers in the first place. 

http://syn.org.au/program/naughty-rude-show/episode/audio/2012/06/06/festival-sex-work/8041

Christian Vega on 3CR's 'Done By Law'

Podcast of an interview with Christian Vega on 3CR's 'Done By Law' program on Monday night about the festival, sex work and the law.

SEX WORKERS SPEAK OUT

Written by Annie on June 5, 2012

Last week venues around Melbourne hosted talks, public forums and screenings for the city’s firstFestival of Sex Work. Sex worker and advocate Christian Vega from VIXEN (Victorian Sex Industry Network) joins Done By Law to talk about how current laws and policies affect the rights of sex workers in Victoria.

http://www.donebylaw.org/2012/06/05/sex-workers-speak-out/

Rachel Wotton Interviewed on RRR

Audio: Sex worker Rachel Wotton is an advocate for inclusion

29.05.2012

Rachel Wotton is a sex worker from Sydney who specializes in providing services for people with disability. She's also the subject of Scarlet Road, a film that follows her as she smashes the stereotypes surrounding her line of work. Wotton talks to Radiotherapy about being an advocate for inclusion and fighting the stigma surrounding her profession by pointing out that there's more parallels between sex work and accountancy than you think.

http://www.rrr.org.au/whats-going-on/news/audio-sex-worker-rachel-wotton-is-an-advocate-for-inclusion/

Calendar of Festival Events

This is a calendar of the Melbourne Festival of Sex Work events that are open to the public. 

Click on the event to find more information. 

Date	Sex Worker Only Events	Public Events
Saturday, 26th of May		Festival Launch & Art Exhibition Opening
Sunday, 27th of May		Sex Work In Melbourne:A Historical Walking Tour	Exhibit Closed
Monday, 28th of May	Workshops Sex Work & Self Care Stripper School 101 Skill Share	Sex Worker Digital Story Telling Screening	Art  Exhibition Open
Tuesday, 29th of May	Workshops Sex Worker Art Practice Writing Workshop	Ask A Sex Worker A Question: A Public Forum
Wednesday, 30th of May	Sex Worker  Performance Night	Sex Work Policy & Law:A Public Forum
Thursday, 31st of May	Workshops Intro to Sex Work Orgs Sex Work Advocacy What's next Victoria?	Scarlet Road: A Screening and Q&A
Friday, 1st of June	Touching Base Professional Disability Awareness Training
Saturday, 2nd of June		Red Umbrella Rally

Workshops

Before sex worker organisations were put together, before peer education was identified as best practice, before the internet- sex workers have shared information in order to better educate themselves on how to work, how to look after each other and how to improve our skills.  

And this continues today- in the near absence of recognised and accredited professional development for sex workers, we are sharing skills in the back rooms of brothels, forming networks to protect each other through Facebook and getting together to learn new and better ways of working.  

The festival of Sex Work would like to contribute to this proud tradition by holding workshops facilitated for sex workers by sex workers.    

Workshop Topics:

Monday 28^th of May

Skill Share/How to Hustle

This session will be an open discussion about different sex working skills. You can ask for or offer information/skills and support.

 Stripper School 101

Sex Work & Self Care

Sex work is, among many things, a caring profession.This workshop will discuss the ways - big and small - in which we can care for ourselves and each other as sex workers.

Tuesday 29^th of May

Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop

Facilitated by bestselling author, Kate Holden, this workshop focuses on the importance of sex worker stories, some tips and exercises about writing memories, whether they're for you in private or for publication.

Sex Worker Art Practice

 Thursday 31^st of May

Introductions to Sex Worker Organisations

Come learn about the Scarlet Alliance, the national association of sex workers and meet Vixen Victoria, a sex worker organisation who is putting on the Festival of Sex Work.

Sex Work Advocacy

How can we affect social change and defend the human rights of sex workers? This workshop looks at advocacy and how we can work towards achieving more as a community.

Where to next?  Sex Worker activism & advocacy in Victoria

To effect change around sex work-related issues in Victoria, we need to work together.  This session will be a brain-storming session to consolidate our strengths and to work out what we, as a community, want to see happen.

Workshops are sex worker only events. 

To register your attendance of these workshop please call  0414 275 959.  

To protect the privacy and confidentiality of workshop participants, the exact time and locations of workshops will not be made public.  This information will be given to attending sex workers prior to the workshop dates.  

Statement From Scarlet Alliance

Scarlet Alliance would like to publicly acknowledge the work of our member group Vixen in organising the inaugural Melbourne Festival of Sex Work in Victoria. 

Sex worker led and organised events are extremely important to ensure sex worker voices are heard and to create spaces to share sex work experiences. This is at a particularly important time for sex workers in Victoria who are experiencing harsh and unworkable legal and policy frameworks impacting on their work and personal lives. 

We wish Vixen every success with the Festival and congratulate all involved for their passion, commitment and contribution to the sex worker rights movement in Australia.


The Scarlet Alliance, the Australian Sex Worker Association is the national peak body of sex worker organisations.  For more information visit www.scarletalliance.org.au 

Public Forum: Ask A Sex Worker A Question

Curious? Google just not cutting it?  Have you got one of those questions you've always wanted to ask but never had the opportunity? Now is your chance...

The world of sex work is hidden in secrets and shadows, wrapped in myths, stereotypes and prejudice.  With wondering minds, opinions can often be shaped by questions unanswered.  

Step into our lush boudoir and prepare to indulge your curiosity.  

This public forum will gather a diverse range of sex workers to answer your questions.

An Escort, A Porn Star, A Tantra Practitioner, A Professional Dominatrix, A Brothel Worker,  A Rent Boy- We are all going to be on hand as a panel to answer your questions.  

Featured Panelists: 

Angela White

Angela White was still in high school when she began her adult modelling career in 2003. Barely 18 years old, Angela became the first Australian model to pose for The Score Group in the USA and remains the most popular big-bust Aussie porn star on the Internet.

Lady Ambrosia Noir

Lady Ambrosia is a Melbourne Mistress & Switch Who Tours to Adelaide Every Month. An Elite Dominatrix, Fetishist & Switch Specialising in BDSM, Fetish, Fantasy & Crossdressing. 

This is a Public Event

Where: Secret Society- Level 2 Society Restaurant

When: Tuesday 29th of May, 8pm 

$8 entry.  Gold Coin Donation to ask a question.  


Find this event on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/events/236292173148297/

Red Umbrella Rally

June 2nd is International Whores' Day. It is also the last day of our festival.


To celebrate we're having a Red Umbrella Rally on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne.


Join sex workers in solidarity as we commemorate the day that started the modern international sex worker rights movement as well as remember that the struggle for sex worker rights is as relevant today as it ever was.

Sex workers in Victoria are sick and tired of being ignored as the rhetoric that that oppresses us rolls on to shape policy that entrenches stigma and discrimination.  This rally is a stand made by sex workers of Victoria and our allies- we, who believe that sex worker rights are human rights.  


Assemble at Parliament House Steps, 2pm on Saturday the 2nd of June, 2012.  



This is Vixen at Pride March this year.  

Media Release

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL OF SEX WORK

A group of Melbourne sex workers have organised Australia's first ever Festival of Sex Work.

Beginning on Saturday 26 May concluding with International Whores Day, Saturday 2 June 2012, the festival is a celebration of the lives, skills, culture and community of sex workers, and will include a number of different events.  Some of these events will be for sex workers only, whilst others will be open to the public.

The Festival of Sex Work is being organised by Vixen, a group run by and for sex-workers in Victoria, and the festival organising committee is 100% comprised of current and former sex workers.  Vixen member, Tabitha, says: “We are a diverse group of workers who share one common goal – we want to speak out against the stigma associated with sex work.  We're tired of other people thinking they have the right to speak for us, or thinking they know what we think or feel.  We hope this festival will provide sex workers with a safe space to meet and share ideas, and we will also be sending a strong message out to the wider community – let us speak for ourselves because we know what is best for us!”

Despite the fact that Melbourne was the first place in the world to fund a sex worker organisation, the current situation in Victoria is that the government only gives money to services that have a vested interest in portraying sex workers as a health issue or exploited victims that need rescuing.  “And they are loath to employ sex workers, making it rare that the community or government listen to voices at the centre of sex work.” Vixen member, Christian Vega, added. “The Festival is our opportunity to challenge this. We want to show that we are organised and that it is a blatant injustice that we are relegated to the sidelines when it comes to the discourse and decision making about sex work in our state.”

The Festival of Sex Work is created solely by the volunteer efforts and resources of sex workers themselves, working with no corporate sponsorship or government funding. 

The Festival of Sex Work strives to challenge stereotypes.  It aims to be a safe space for sex workers and their allies, one that protects human rights and respects the diverse perspectives and experiences of sex workers.  The festival will be held over a number of different locations and will include public forums, an art exhibition and a screening of Walkley award nominated documentary 'Scarlet Road'. 

For more information please visit our website:  www.festivalofsexwork.com

For further media information or interviews, please contact: whoreganisers@festivalofsexwork.com

Tabitha:  0404 401 118

Christian:  0403 941 185

Festival of Sex Work Video

Here's the full version of the Festival of Sex Work Video.

Visit our website http://festivalofsexwork.com/

NB: The content of this video was accurate at the time its making and circumstances may have changed.  Specifically, the statement "Vixen is the only organisation made 100% of sex workers in Victoria" does not account for the creation of any new sex worker organisation that may have been created since.   

Melbourne Festival of Sex Work Safer Spaces Policy

The Melbourne Festival of Sex Work Safer Spaces Policy is about taking a positive, proactive, preventative step towards making spaces safer in our community. We use the word ‘safer’ to acknowledge that no space can be entirely safe for everyone and not everyone experiences spaces in the same way as others. We want the Melbourne Festival of Sex Work to offer sex worker friendly environments that are welcoming, engaging and supportive: spaces where people take care of one another whilst promoting lively and productive debate. We want people to feel they can be themselves and that different opinions are important and can strengthen our community. We are asking people to be proactive in creating a safer, sex work positive space that is comfortable for everyone attending. We won’t be micro-monitoring behaviour at the Festival, but each event will be facilitated and we expect that everyone attending will respect our safer spaces statement and take responsibility for their behaviour at all times.

Just as we use the word “safer” because no space can be 100% safe for all participants, we also acknowledge that no policy can eliminate 100% of risk and danger for people participating in any event.  With that in mind Festival organisers would like to make clear that this policy is a guiding document, one that is live and can be amended as necessary. Festival organisers are open to feedback regarding the Safer Spaces Policy and this can be given by emailing whoreganisers@festivalofsexwork.com

Every event is a safer space for all participants. 

Being a safer space for participants means a number of things:

1.    Event content must not discriminate, exclude or perpetuate stigma against its potential participants.  Each event, its facilitators and participants must avoid making judgements and/or promoting prejudice about race, sex, gender, sexuality, ability, drug use, mode of sex work, legal status, and mental health.  If it is necessary to be exempt from this (for example, a workshop’s content may only be relevant for only cisfemale participants), these stipulations and the reasons for them must be made explicit to festival organisers and will be absolutely clear from the beginning in all promotional material.

2.    Privacy and confidentiality of participants is paramount.  It will be made clear to participants that no personal or identifying details are ever required for participation in a workshop; that no contribution made by participants at a workshop will be shared outside of it unless consent is clearly and explicitly given; and no recording devices (including cameras) will be used during workshops. 

3.    Event facilitators must be aware that some content may trigger a negative emotional impact on participants.  Any planned event content that may be at all traumatic (including discussions of violence, abuse, suicide) must be made clear to participants prior to the event.  It must also be made clear to participants that they can leave the event whenever they want and should debriefing be necessary, festival organisers will arrange this in accordance with our Safer Spaces Policy.  

4.    The Festival is made up of events that are either sex worker only or open to the public. In terms of ensuring the safety of event participants, public events will be clearly indicated as such.  (Further discussion of this below)

5.    Festival organisers will ensure that a safer space and team of debriefers will be made available at all events. Participants will be made aware that their involvement is completely voluntary and the right to exit any event plus access to a debriefer will be upheld.

6.    Festival organisers are sex workers. As such we also need to ensure our own safety. While we are responsive to concerns individuals have regarding the operation of our festival we will not tolerate abuse or harassment of individual Festival organisers or the collective. 

This Festival is a celebration of Sex Work.

Events must reflect this.  We want the experience sex workers have at the festival to be a positive one.  We know sex work can be hard at times and festival organisers do not want to make invisible these experiences.  However, the festival is a constructive and positive space; it is not the right place for working through people's personal issues; it is not the space to attack or critique any individual sex worker.

 Each event must...

1.    ...affirm the choice to be a sex worker. 

2.    ...contribute to participants understanding of the diversity of sex work

3.    ...acknowledge the difficulty of being a sex worker but give priority to focussing on the skills, character and strategies that overcome these difficulties. 

Sex Worker Only and Public Events

The Festival organisers acknowledge that negotiating safety in a sex worker only space is different to negotiating safety at a public event. The festival organisers value the contribution of sex workers and recognise that particular goals of promoting sex worker rights, health and well being can only occur in sex worker only spaces. However, Festival organisers would also like create opportunities for the general public to engage with the perspectives of sex workers. With this in mind the following guiding principles are adopted by Festival organisers:

1.    The details of sex worker only events (time and location) will not be publicised in any public document.  

2.    All events that are open to the public will be made explicitly clear to all participants.

3.   Sex worker only events will be promoted in forums that are clearly and explicitly sex worker only networks.

4.    No one has the right to compel an individual to produce evidence of their status as a sex worker. However, Festival organisers recognise the need to engage in strategies that ensure sex worker only events are attended by sex workers only. This will be done through promotional strategies that enable a degree of verification . Festival organisers reserve the right to refuse participants attendance of sex worker only events.

Specific Events:

Generally, all workshops during the day and social events during the festival will be sex worker only spaces. At this stage the exception to this is the Touching Base Professional Disability Awareness Training.  The Touching Base workshop is primarily facilitated by a sex worker but has specific sections that are facilitated by a person with a disability and a qualified occupational therapist, both of whom do not identify as sex workers.

Where a workshop is not sex worker only, this will be made clear in the non-public festival guide. 

The art exhibition, public forums, public action and film nights will be public events. The Safer Spaces Policy will be made available at these events and awareness of this will be stated as part of each events formal process. 

No participant is compelled to attend any public event if they do not wish, and participation in the festival can be entirely at sex worker only events if the participant wishes.  Public events are designed to engage our allies and friends as well as the broader public. 

The end of Festival party will be a strictly invite only event. Participants are primarily sex workers, however, some may also bring partners and family.  It is the responsibility of sex workers who are bringing guests to the event to ensure that they are familiar with the safer spaces policy. This is not an event for clients or the general public. 

Examining our own subtle and not-so-subtle prejudices

If we profess to be concerned about issues such as race, gender and sexuality, we need to live our lives in a way that proactively seeks to subvert prejudice and undermine discrimination. This means treating people equally and acknowledging that everyone has something amazing to contribute. It means not being tokenistic.

We may like to think of the Melbourne Festival of Sex Work as an alternative space where people reject the prejudices associated with ‘mainstream’ anti-sex work values. However, sex worker communities can often carry the same prejudices as the so-called mainstream and we all need to address this. We are part of this broader society. All of us have to challenge our own internalised sex worker stigma. By participating in making the Festival a safer space, we can all learn about how to overcome this stigma.

People attending the Melbourne Festival of Sex Work are asked to be aware of their language and behaviour and to think about whether it might be offensive to others. The Festival is no space for violence, sexual assault, touching people without their consent, being intolerant of someone’s religious beliefs or lack thereof, being creepy, sleazy, racist, ageist, sexist, heterosexist, homophobic, transphobic, cissexist, ableist, classist, sizeist, sex negative or any other behaviour or language that may perpetuate oppression. Please also consider whether anxiety, new environments, being surrounded by new people, drugs, alcohol, etc could blur your ability to gauge how your behaviour is affecting others.

A note to people who aren’t sex workers attending the Melbourne Festival of Sex Work

The Festival strives to create a safer space for sex workers, even at public events. We want people who aren’t sex workers to come along to public events and learn what it takes to support sex workers.  The following are some pointers about how to be an ally to our community.  Festival organisers would like to acknowledge that these pointers have been adapted from a document originally published by the Sex Worker Outreach Project, Chicago.  

1)      Don’t assume anything about anyone you may meet at the festival. Don’t assume you know that a person is in the sex industry and their reasons for being there. Some people make a choice to enter this industry because they enjoy it, others may be struggling for money and may feel they have less of a choice.

2)      Be Discreet and Respect Personal Boundaries. If you know a sex worker, it’s OK to engage in dialogue with them in private, but respect their privacy surrounding their work in public settings.  Don’t ask personal questions such as “does your family know what you do?” If a sex worker is not “out” to their friends, family, or co-workers, it’s not your place to tell everyone what they do.

3)      Don’t Judge. Know your own prejudices and realise that not everyone shares the same opinions as you. Whatever you may think about sex work is irrelevant compared to the actual experiences of the person who works in the industry. It’s not your place to pass judgement on how another person earns the money they need to survive.

4)      Watch Your Language. Cracking jokes or using derogatory terms such as “hooker”, “whore”, “slut”, or “ho” is not acceptable. While some sex workers have reclaimed these words and use them among themselves, they are usually used to demean sex workers when spoken by outsiders.

5)      Address Your Prejudices. If you have a deep bias or underlying fear that all sex workers are bad people and/or full of diseases, then perhaps these are issues within yourself that you need to address.  In fact, the majority of sex workers practice safer sex than their peers and get tested regularly.

6)      Don’t Play Rescuer. Not all sex workers are trying to get out of the industry or in need of help. Ask them what they need, but not everyone is looking for “Captain Save-A-Ho” or the “Pretty Woman” ending.

7)      If you are a client or patron of sex workers, be respectful of boundaries. You’re buying a service, not a person. Don’t ask for real names, call at all hours of the day/night, or think that your favourite sex worker is going to enter into a relationship with you off the clock.

8)      Do Your Own Research. Most mainstream media is biased against sex workers and the statistics you read in the news about the sex industry are usually inaccurate. Be critical of what you read or hear and educate yourself on who exactly is transmitting diseases or being trafficked.

9)      Respect that Sex Work is Real Work. There’s a set of professional skills involved and it’s not necessarily an industry that everyone can enter into. Don’t tell someone to get a “real job” when they already have one that suits them just fine.

10)  Just because someone is a sex worker doesn’t mean they will have sex with you. No matter what area of the sex industry that someone works in, don’t assume that they are promiscuous and willing to have sex with anyone at any time.

11)  Be Supportive and Share Resources. If you know of someone who is new to the industry or in an abusive situation with an employer, by all means offer advice and support without being condescending. Some people do enter into the sex industry without educating themselves about what they are getting into and may need help. Despite the situation, calling the police is usually never a good option. Try to find other organizations that are sensitive to the needs of sex workers by contacting the organizations listed below.

12)  As you learn the above things, stand up for sex workers when conversations happen.  Share your personal stories if you so choose.  Don’t let the stigma, bigotry and shame around sex work continue.  Remember it’s important that sex workers be allowed to speak for themselves and for allies to not speak for sex workers but to speak with sex workers.

Realise that sex work transcends ‘visible’ notions of race, gender, class, sexuality, education, and identities; sex workers are your sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, lovers, and friends. Respect them!

Grievance Process

1) If you wish to proceed with a grievance, directly approach the person whose behaviour has caused you to feel unsafe to try to resolve the issue. Please do so while maintaining safer spaces yourself – refer to section above.

AND/OR:

Walk away if you can’t reach a resolution, we don’t endorse individuals aggravating conflicts that exist over differences of opinion. Acknowledge the difference of opinion. Make your opposition known. Find your friends, go to a quiet space and debrief.

2) If unresolved, approach the designated grievance contacts on the Melbourne Festival of Sex Work Collective (will be identifiable during the festival).

3) The collective member will ask you if you have approached the person involved already. If you have not, see step one.

4) The collective will meet daily during Festival of Sex Work and will hear complex and unresolved grievances if necessary. This is an absolutely last step and we encourage individuals to take responsibility for their one-on-one conflicts maturely if possible PRIOR to needing the collective to intervene.

5) Excluding people from Festival Events is an absolute final resort and will only be done by consensus decision of the collective

If you decide to confront a person you have a grievance with, or ask a third party to do so on your behalf, or you have been asked to approach a person on behalf of another, please keep in mind that YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS regardless of your grievance with another person. At no time are you acting on behalf of the collective.

The Festival Collective recognises that some people have ongoing conflict/grievances which have originated in a space outside of the Festival. It is not the role of the Festival, its organisers or this policy to resolve such conflict. Please inform Festival organisers if you feel this may impact on your ability to feel safe whilst attending the Festival.  Please be aware that while we will do our best to provide a safer space for all participants, we cannot necessarily mediate all tensions that are brought to our Festival.  Again, Festival organisers would like to reiterate, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

Distribution of the policy

We want everyone who attends the Melbourne Festival of Sex Work to be aware of this safer spaces policy. This statement will be in the program, reader, website, displayed around the venue and hopefully it will come up in discussions. We will also send this statement to everyone who has contacted us about putting on a workshop and we will put it onto the website. Feel free to alert your friends to the existence of this policy.

We hope that the very existence of this information will assist in the following ways:

• As a visible/constant reminder of everyone’s need to take responsibility for their own behaviour
• To keep the issues fresh in everyone’s minds
• As a reminder that words, body language, actions and behaviour affect other people and make them feel certain ways – a reminder to be aware of other people’s personal boundaries
• To work preventatively
• To follow the Grievance Process
• To take responsibility for your own actions when confronting or addressing a third party with whom you have a grievance.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Festival organisers would like to acknowledge and thank Camp Betty, the Scarlet Alliance and SWOP-Chicago, whose own safer spaces policies and publications have been influential in the creation of the Melbourne Festival of Sex Work Safer Spaces Policy.