Adult Industry Workers Come Out For International Whores Day (AVN)

Read the full article by Mark Kernes at AVN.com

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—More than 300 sex workers—adult film stars, doms/subs, whores—and their supporters crowded into the back patio of Boardner's Bar on Cherokee Ave. in Hollywood on Saturday afternoon, June 2.They were there to hear a handful of speakers talk about how sex workers continue to be (mis)treated in the "Land of the Free," and to prepare them for the local International Whores Day march in the heart of the city that was, in large part, built by sex workers of one sort or another, from early mainstream movie stars who "entertained" in their off-screen hours, to studio heads whose mistresses found on-screen fame, to the streetwalkers who used to (heavily) populate the boulevards nightly after sundown.The Boardner's show was MC'd by actress/sex-worker/activist Siouxsie Q, who'd been part of a group of sex worker lobbyists that had spent Friday in Sacramento talking to politicians—and reportedly getting a warm reception from Sen. Kamala Harris' staff.Q described the sense of deflation sex workers felt after the passage of FOSTA and the closing of Backpage.com, the deletion of Craigslist personals and the like, but noted that those events had led to increased activism and networking. She then went on to introduce the 5 speakers, which included Gizelle Marie, Jessica Drake, Tara Coccinelle, Connor Habib, and Kristen DiAngelo.It was one hell of a day—and Hollywood wasn't the only place protests were taking place. Others have written about marches in Las Vegas, New York City and Oakland, but in fact, marches were taking place all over the world.