Today, on September 24, 2020 at 6 PM PST/ 9 PM EST, the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Adult Industry Collective (BIPOC-AIC) will be holding the first in a two-part conversation series titled “Politricks.” The stated aim of the event series is to prepare the sex working community and allies ahead of the upcoming November 3rd elections.

“Politricks” offers an opportunity to hear from sex workers, educators, activists and legal experts as they unpack and analyze the impact of legislation aimed at the sex industry, often framed using an anti-trafficking guise. The first installment of Politricks focuses on the fallout of SESTA-FOSTA and the dangerous implications the EARN IT Act has for all laborers in the sex and adult entertainment industries.

Moderated by BIPOC-AIC member Mia Little, panelists include attorney Maxine L. Barasch, Phoenix Calida, Raani Begum, SX Noir, India Thusi and Mia Lee.

“Technological advances are complicating, and will continue to complicate, the regulation of sex work,” said Thusi, Associate Professor of Law at Delaware Law School. “It’s important that policymakers avoid excessive regulations that violate sex workers’ rights and make sex work more risky. They should instead be focused on making the industry safer rather than expanding the paths to incarceration.”

Current, harmful legislation has resulted in illegitimate searches of street-based workers, raids on strip clubs, and state-sanctioned violence against sex workers by law enforcement. This conversation is presented by BIPOC sex workers and some of our strongest allies to help better navigate present-day politics.

Lee, a New York and San Francisco based escort, said, “FOSTA/SESTA is a coarse brush for the alleged eradication of sex trafficking, which reflects puritanical political sentiments and ultimately endangers the most vulnerable consensual sex workers.”

Panelists will provide clear and coherent information to prepare voters for the upcoming election cycle. The speakers will provide their insights regarding what is happening on the floors of U.S. courtrooms, Congress, the White House, and the real-life impact of legislation related to sex work.

Find additional details about “Politricks” and reserve a seat on Eventbrite. The second installment of “Politricks” will occur in October.