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From Performance to Protest: A Festival Where Sex Worker Voices and Joy Take Center Stage
Fostering an atmosphere of wholesome sexy liberation, Sex Worker Pride Festival made history last weekend by transforming the discourse and visibility for all those who have or are working within the industry. They brought together an electric festival of body and sex positivity through performance and partying, panel discussions and art, creating one hell of a motivational celebration.
As a sex worker and POC led event, Riot Party, curated by founders Maedb Joy and Alex, has activated a new wave of protest through partying - granting time, space, and support to the communities they uphold. Off the back of last month’s epic Black Pride celebrations in London, and their previous events in Bristol and Manchester, Riot Party brought Sex Worker Pride Festival to London in collaboration with One Night Parties run by Miss Gold.
The event was a multidisciplinary party platforming political art by sex workers as well as cultivating spaces for play and for people to explore their sexuality in a safer, non-judgmental environment. As Maedb, cofounder of the event, described it, Sex Worker Pride Festival was “for people to let their hair down, have fun and party to the beat of sex worker rights.”
"Sex Worker Pride Festival was for people to let their hair down, have fun and party to the beat of sex worker rights." - Maedb Joy, founder of Riot Party
Joining forces with One Night Parties, run by fellow advocate of Sex Worker rights Miss Gold, the party spanned two floors, with ONP delivering bespoke experiences and artistic eroticism for exclusively FLINTA attendees. For Miss Gold, her intention was to platform other Sex Workers and facilitate spaces for people to explore, feel free or connect.
Art exhibitions, installations and written work, in collaboration with Queer Whore Collective and ASWAC (Anonymous Sex Worker Art Collective), filled the downstairs courtyard, providing people with ways to learn, read and absorb the stories of people within the sex industry. With a protest sign making craft space, the encouragement to speak up, support and intentionally take action to enforce sex workers rights was something that laced its way throughout the festival, up onto the stage.
Cybertease (socialist stripper collective) and Sexquisite (performing arts company) - two leading sex worker led companies and event organisers - joined hands to showcase their founding members stripping back and educating on the history of nudity, entertainment and burlesque. April Fiasco led a performance spilling the tea on sex worker legality and rights within the UK, and Maedb Joy hit home on the hard truths of whorephobic sexualisation through her powerful spoken word. Ally Only and Victoria Rose danced their talents to the sound of roaring crowds - heating up the room with liberated freedom of expression.
When talking to cofounder Maedb about the motivations behind Sex Worker Pride Festival, she shares how “We need a pride because, every day in wider society, we are pushed to exist on the margins. So I really wanted to create a space where we are centered and celebrated.” It was essential for Maedb to work with grassroots collectives as well as popular sex workers who are known in the scene to “bring everyone together in one space to create a day that's for us.” This approach to community building is something that rippled throughout the event, including the panel discussion hosted by Reed Amber, in conversation with Maedb Joy, Miss Gold and Ally Only, cofounder of Cybertease. One guest explained how “it meant so much to hear these voices on stage. I felt heard for the first time ever in my life” reflecting the importance of having experiences heard and feelings validated.
"Every day in wider society we are pushed to exist on the margins. So I really wanted to create a space where we are centered and celebrated."
For others they shared how “I garnered even more respect for sex workers and appreciate so much the work Riot Party does to make sexy and safer spaces so fun to attend.” To encourage and celebrate sexyness is already an achievement but to bring it into the world of protest and activism adds a whole new layer of impact and awareness. As Head of Safeguarding Dea Hel expressed “The vilification of sex work is so deeply rooted into the British consciousness, it’s very difficult to facilitate open discussions about its complexity. The Sex Worker Pride Festival was a spectacular celebration of a wide range of profoundly talented sex workers and it’s something I’m very proud to have been part of.”
Riot Party and One Night Parties created a zero judgment space for sexuality to be celebrated, seen and heard about. They made history last Sunday and by the looks of things, their movements and mindsets are set to continue achieving great change for their community and society at large.
LINKS
Keep up to date with Maedb Joy's work over on her IG @maedbjoy
Check out the collectives and parties below and give them a follow.
❣️@sexquisite.events - Performing arts company platforming s-x worker artists using art as activism
🌻@cybertease_ - Socialist worker led $tripper collective
❣️@aswacollective - Grassroots s-x worker led arts collective archiving s-x worker experiences
🌻Queer Whore Collective- Grassroots arts collective with a focus on curating spaces for s-x workers to process their experiences through writing
🦋Panel talk (hosted by @reedamberx with @modestgoldx @maedbjoy & Ally Only)
💗Protest Sign Making Workshop by Anonymous Sex Worker Art Collective
🦋S-x Worker Art Exhibition by ASWAC and QWC
💗House of Tease Cabaret by Sexquisite Events and Cybertease
🦋One Night Middle Floor - Flinta Utopia ran by @onenightparties
💗@riotpartyuk Party Ground Floor with playrooms and multi genre DJs
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