The above video and supplementary documents are designed to spark discussion and create inspiration for looking at the ways that peer-led groups providing support and services to sex workers in their communities can collaborate with harm reduction agencies. The materials were developed by a group of sex workers and allies during the Speak Up! media training, the second annual workshop by Sex Work Awareness.

Throughout the United States, both sex workers and intravenous drug users are targeted with similarly discriminatory laws that create harm in our communities instead of giving us better opportunities to reduce risks and lead more healthful lives. For example, in many states, police can use possession of condoms as evidence of prostitution, similarly possession of syringes are used as evidence of illegal drug possession. Because of these types of commonalities, we have created a short public service announcement video and a packet of materials that we hope will further dialogue among our communities.

Production Process

The video was produced by Sex Work Awareness’ class of 2010 Speak Up! Media Training for the Empowered Sex Worker. During the training, which develops the communication and media skills of sex workers and former sex workers who wish to become or are already spokespeople in their communities, the group of nine created a strategy for the communications output of the project, collaboratively wrote the script to the video, and some members of the group appeared on camera. The written materials were gathered with the guidance and support of the group and our colleagues.

We hope that you will find these materials useful. This guide is released with a Creative Commons Share Alike license, so you may adapt these materials for your own projects or publications, but you may not sell them. Also, if you do use the materials, remember to indicate that they were developed by Sex Work Awareness or that you have adapted our materials.

Materials
Download the six page PDF of materials HERE.

Click the links below to download the individual elements included in the six page document:

• Statement by the International Sex Worker Harm Reduction Caucus: Sex Workers Are Key Players in Promoting Human Rights and Harm Reduction
• Collaboration Story: SWOP Chicago and Chicago Recovery Alliance
• Personal Story: How Harm Reduction Services Supported A Sex Worker
• Transcript: Nothing About Us Without Us: Public Service Announcement Video

Since our inception, the St. James Infirmary has provided compassionate and non-judgmental health care & social services to sex industry workers; we prevent occupational illnesses, injuries, and provide a safety net for sex workers through our comprehensive social service programs. We are the only occupational health and safety clinic run by and for sex industry workers in the entire nation.  Compassionate friends like you have enabled us to put this revolutionary idea into action. Your support is just as important as ever.

Join the St. James Infirmary, several fabulous guests, and Margo St. James in September for a party celebrating 11 wonderful years of service and to raise money for our clinic.  There will be entertainment, a no-host bar and complimentary diner.  We will be making several exciting announcements at 7:00 PM, so please don’t miss out.

This event is invitation only and you must RSVP with your email address to receive the exact address of the event through an E-vite invitation. Please email Development to let us know that you are interested in attending this exclusive event held at a legendary private venue.

If you are unable to make the event, please contribute anyway.  Mail us a check to the address below or donate button below to donate on-line

St. James Infirmary
C/O Matching Your Devotion Campaign
1372 Mission Street.
San Francisco, CA 94103

The St. James Infirmary “Occupational Health and Safety Handbook, 3rd edition” is hot off the presses and better than ever! The first half of the book is devoted to harm reduction, health, safety and legal rights, and the second half has information for 720 local, national and international resources relevant to the lives of sex workers. If you are a sex worker outside of the Bay Area or your agency serves sex workers, you should buy this book NOW…it is amazingly thorough and helpful.

If you are a sex worker in the Bay Area, you can get a free copy of the book when you come in and receive services.

View the Table Of Contents

Our Third Edition will only be available for sale as a hard copy however, you can still download a free PDF version of the Second Edition for free, but be warned the Third Edition is vastly different and features over a dozen new writers plus, all the agency information has been updated and we now have an index.

Macklean from Uganda of the UNAIDS Global Working Group on Sex Work & HIV from Naomi Akers on Vimeo.

In October 2009, the St. James Infirmary Executive Director was appointed to a Global Working Group on Sex Work and HIV Policy to UNAIDS. With its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative joint venture, bringing together the efforts and resources of ten UN system organizations in the global AIDS response.
Cosponsors include UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency), UNICEF (UN National Children’s Fund), WFP (UN World Food Program), UNDP (UN Development Programme), UNFPA (UN Population Fund), UNODC (UN Office on Drugs and Crime), ILO (International Labor Organization), UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), WHO (World Health Organization) and the World Bank.
In 2007, UNAIDS released a “Guidance Note on HIV and Sex Work” that demonstrated a clear departure from human rights-based, evidence-informed approaches to an emphasis on eliminating sex work altogether as an HIV prevention strategy. Shortly afterwards, the Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), held a meeting with UNAIDS to comment on the 2007 version, noting that it departed from principles of human rights-based and evidence-based programming and policy.  In the meeting NSWP demanded that UNAIDS make changes to the Guidance Note that included meaningful participation and input from the global sex worker community. A new version of the Guidance Note has been drafted, with key global recommendations, including, but not limited to the decriminalization of sex workers, injection drug users and men who have sex with men to further the critical agenda of universal access to HIV prevention and treatment.   However several problems still existed with the updated Guidance Note.
In 2009, UNAIDS and NSWP established The Global Working Group on Sex Work and HIV Policy, a coalition convened by NSWP, to make changes to the Guidance Note with specific policy recommendations that addressed HIV interventions and access to HIV treatment for sex workers rather than trying to eliminate the world’s oldest profession.  As a member of the North American Network of Sex Work Project (NA-NSWP), the Executive Director of the St. James Infirmary was elected as the North American representative to the Global Working Group on Sex Work and HIV Prevention .
In November 2009 and June 2010, the ED was flown to Geneva, Switzerland as part of her work with the Global Working Group on Sex Work and HIV Policy to UNAIDS. The Global Working Group identified several issues in the UNAIDS Guidance Note on HIV and Sex Work that needed to be addressed:
1.    Addressing criminalization of sex work and repressive law enforcement practices as barriers to universal access.
2.    Reduction of demand for sex work vs. the reduction of demand for unsafe paid sex.
3.    The conflation of human trafficking and sex work and consideration of the harmful effects on sex workers and universal access to HIV services of some anti-trafficking measures
4.    Economic empowerment of sex workers and a critical examination of mandatory programmes aimed at exiting sex work as opposed to programs that provided optional alternatives and/or professional support within the industry with respect to universal access to HIV.
As a result of these four issues in the Guidance Note that needed to be addressed, UNAIDS agreed to postpone publication and distribution of the Guidance Note until the Global Working Group could draft complimentary papers to the Guidance Note that would clarify the position of UNAIDS in regards to the rights of sex workers and the harms of criminalization, end demand policies, anti-trafficking polices and exiting programs to the mission of universal access to HIV prevention for sex workers.
In addition to working on drafting four annex papers to accompany the Guidance Note, the ED will work with the Global Working Group and UNAIDS to:  identify and secure the financial resources required to support sex workers rights regional and global networks; ensure meaningful participation of sex worker organisations in regional and national consultations and trainings; identify five or six countries and the process for following the roll-out of programmes on HIV and sex work, including the possibility of country visits for documenting and sharing good practices. While the efforts of the Global Working Group are primarily aimed at efforts for the global south and developing nations, the Guidance Note is an important policy guide for national and local efforts as well.

Jana from Peru on UNAIDS Global Working Group on Sex Work & HIV from Naomi Akers on Vimeo.

Pink Saturday in the Castro on June 26th, 2010 by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Shifts are from 5pm-9pm (check-in at 4pm) & 7:30pm-11:30pm (check-in at 6:30).

Go to this website and pick your shift. Enter the code: PEACE for the St. James Infirmary.

Or you can email our Events Coordinator and he will register you.

Or you can simply show up for the shift… BUT MAKE SURE TO SAY YOU ARE WITH ST. JAMES!

Thanks for all your help and HAPPY PRIDE!!

New York-based advocacy organization Sex Work Awareness recently implemented its first day-long Speak Up media training workshop, which took place at the Harm Reduction Coalition in mid-April. At the end of the day, the workshop participants made a public service announcement video.

Working Sex: Power, Practice, and Politics

July 25-30, 2010

Las Vegas, NV

What: This year St. James Infirmary will be giving out full and partial scholarships to attend the Desiree Alliance Conference in Las Vegas July 25-30.  Full scholarships include hotel, flight and registration, some ground transportation.  Partial scholarships include hotel and registration.

Who: Scholarships are for current and former sex workers in the Bay Area ONLY, with priority to people who are low income,  who are presenting at the conference or who are working in the field of sex worker rights or direct services

When: Applications must be received by April 15th, 2010. All applicants will hear of the process outcome by May 9th, 2010

How: Complete this application and follow the instructions.

Super-sexy hooker gear, shipped direct to you! St. James Infirmary tees and undies make the perfect gift for any occasion or trouble you want to cause. Wear them in health:

• Logo Girly Tee
• Logo Basic Tee
• Logo Girly Tank
• Logo Boyshorts
• Logo Thong
• New Logo Tee, Camisole, & Muscle Tank
• “Outlaw Poverty, Not Prostitutes” Tee, Camisole, & Muscle Tank

You can help the St. James Infirmary & Hooker Healthcare by sporting one of our fabulous designs on our cool tops and bottoms for any and all genders.  We have stylized our agency logo to a sleeker look.  So check out our store today.

We still have our classic agency logo on a few shirts left in stock.  Once these sell out they are gone for good.  Get your vintage St. James Infirmary shirt today!