Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association, the national peak body for sex workers, and Respect Inc, Queensland’s peer sex worker organisation, are responding to comments by the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Jeremy Greaves, concerning the filming of the Stan series Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money at St John’s Cathedral.
In a letter to clergy dated 20 August, the Archbishop stated that he “unreservedly condemn[s] any attempt to validate an industry that exploits women and girls.”
“Sex work is lawful in Queensland, and the people doing it are workers,” said Mish Pony, Chief Executive Officer, Scarlet Alliance.
“Describing a lawful workforce as an industry that exploits women and girls is not a comment about a television program. It is a comment about the people who do this work, and about whether we are welcome.”
“Sex work between consenting adults must not be conflated with sexual exploitation or abuse. Sex workers have consistently been clear about that distinction. When public discussion fails to distinguish between consensual adult sex work and exploitation, it reinforces stigma against sex workers and makes it harder to have meaningful conversations about safety.”
“Sex workers in Queensland are parents, carers, neighbours and parishioners,” said Lulu, Chief Executive Officer, Respect Inc.
“We are already in your congregations. Sex workers should be able to participate in faith communities without being treated as a problem to be solved or a group from whom others need to be protected. “
“Respect Inc provides peer support by and for sex workers in Queensland. Any worker affected by this coverage is welcome to reach out to us.”
Decisions about what was filmed, how it was edited and how it was promoted were made by the broadcaster and the production company. Sex workers did not make those decisions and should not carry the consequences of them.
“Stigma has real consequences. It affects sex workers’ access to services, housing, banking and health care, and can make workers less willing to seek help or report violence because they expect to be judged rather than supported,” said Mish Pony.
“Comments from institutional leaders do not exist in a vacuum and they contribute to the stigma sex workers experience in their everyday lives.”
Scarlet Alliance and Respect Inc welcome the position taken by the Dean of St John’s Cathedral, Dr Peter Catt, that people are not defined by their work. Sex workers are part of faith communities across Australia, just as they are part of every other community.
We urge media reporting on this matter to distinguish between the decisions of broadcasters and producers and the sex workers who appeared in the program. Sex workers should not be made the target of a dispute over how a television program was conceived, filmed or promoted.
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