Today is a HUGE day for sex workers in VIC!! Vixen and
@scarletalliance
welcome the passage of the Sex Work Decriminalisation Bill 2021, but commit to continue to advocate for further reforms!
Full statement at and
#springst
Today the Sex Work Decriminalisation Bill 2021 was introduced to the Victorian Parliament. This is only the first step - details about the Bill will be available after the second reading tomorrow. VIC sex workers, watch this space for more info from us very soon!
Happy International Sex Worker Pride Day! We take pride in our hustle, in our resourcefulness, in our resilience, in our advocacy, our history, in our future, and in our community.
Congratulations Victorian SW - we're on the way! There's still a lot of work to do from here, but this announcement from the Andrews government is a very important step:
@VixenCollective
and Scarlet Alliance response at
Vixen is being funded! VIC is finally getting a funded peer-only sex worker organisation of our own.
We will be auspiced by
@scarletalliance
to provide funded peer education, support, outreach, advocacy & representation. 100% by & for SWers!
Statement:
Today the Sex Work Decriminalisation Bill 2021 passed the lower house! A massive achievement by the VIC SW community. More work to do before the upper house to ensure all sex workers can enjoy the benefits of decrim, but this is an important step in the fight for our rights☂️
THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
VIC COVID-19 UPDATES
On Sunday, the DHHS website was updated to say “Escort services can operate”. Victoria Police Sex Industry Coordination Unit (SICU) has now advised Vixen Collective that SICU’s interpretation of this is:
Thread
1/6
Vixen Collective &
@scarletalliance
have created a VIC Decrim Infokit to support submission writing for sex workers & our supporters. Speak up & share to make sure the VIC government meets its commitment to full decriminalisation for ALL sex workers!
Voters say NO to
@VictorianGreens
anti
#sexwork
candidate Maltzahn
We thank the hard work of
#sexworkers
supporters, allies in the Greens, & all who listened & stood with us
Incl Richmond voters who made a choice that supports the rights & safety of SW
#vicvotes
#vicvotes2018
If sex workers can't work we have no income. Lockdowns in VIC, NSW & ACT are directly impacting our ability to pay rent, buy food & prescriptions, support our dependents & access healthcare. Pls donate/share to help provide a safety net for our community ❤️
CALL TO ACTION! The Sex Work Decriminalisation Bill 2021 contains many SWer demands, but it falls short of full decriminalisation & leaves some sex workers behind. Help us get the amendments sex workers need!
More:
#nosexworkerleftbehind
@scarletalliance
It's the moment you have all been waiting for! For information on the EASING (yay!) of restrictions for in-person sex work in metro Melbourne please check out our website. Thank you for your patience. Happy Saturday everyone!
December 17 is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers & we're having a rally ✊
Save the date & get your red umbrellas ready! More details coming soon
When: 4pm December 17th
Where: State Library, 328 Swanston St
This event is for sex workers & our supporters☂️
Sex workers in VIC and beyond have been loud & clear in our demands - full decriminalisation for all sex workers is the only way. Our community won't accept anything less.
Happy International Whores' Day! ☂️🎉
Whores' Day is a day born of protest and action, a demand for better working conditions and an end to police violence and arrests. How are you spending it? Comment below!
Sex workers and our supporters! Debate on the Sex Work Decriminalisation Bill 2021 will begin in the Legislative Council (upper house) tonight, after 7.30pm AEDT. Tune in here
More from us very soon!
Today is International Whore's Day! IWD is an event that started on June 2nd in 1975, when over 100 sex workers began an 8-day occupation at the Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon.
Want to learn more about what full decriminalisation is and is not, and why we are demanding it? Listen to the experts - sex workers! Licensing in VIC is a dangerous failure - we need full decrim for all sex workers now!
'What the f*** is happening with Covid-19 restrictions in Victoria?' - a thread
Important: DHHS have updated their website to state “escort services” are currently permitted. It is not clear what “escort services” refers to and if it refers to private sex work.
1/8
Once again we are thrust back into stage 3 covid restrictions hell. Vixen Collective is in conversation with Victoria Police and DHHS to get clear advice on what this means for sex workers. As always, stay tuned to our socials for updates!
Many sex workers have been left without access to government support during the pandemic. POVERTY IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS! Donate now and help a sex worker keep the lights on this winter. Don't have cash? Hit that RT!
We will be investigating what the new restrictions mean for sex workers in Victoria in the coming days. We know this is going to be really tough for a lot of people. Don't hesitate to reach out if you need support 💖
COVID-19 restrictions have changed in Metro Melbourne & Regional VIC. From 11/6:
Melb - Private SWers CAN work. Brothels & strip clubs are closed.
Regional - Private SWers CAN work. Brothels & strip clubs open w patron cap & density quotient
More here:
Are you a current/former sex worker? Want to work for a proudly 100% peer SW org? Vixen is hiring! There are 16 exciting roles in peer education & outreach, policy, communications, admin/finance, management, & counselling. All applications due COB 4th Feb:
Important!
The SW Decrim Bill 2021 will NOT be debated in Upper House this year. Vixen &
@scarletalliance
are concerned this could lead to delay of implementation in 2022. The government has committed to decrim & to pursue passing of the Bill in '22.
1/3
Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Today we celebrate sex worker resilience and resistance, and we honour the memory of our loved and grieved for whore-kin.
Huge news from the NT! 'Sex work' and 'sex worker' have been named as protected attributes in the NT Anti-Discrimination Bill! Congrats to everyone who has fought tirelessly for this momentous victory 🎉
***CURRENT AND FORMER VICTORIAN SEX WORKERS ONLY***
Last year, the Andrews government announced a Review of Sex Work Decriminalisation. Tell us what you think decrim in Victoria should look like! DM us to register for one of our online consultations.
We have had confirmation from the government on what the new restrictions mean for Victorian sex workers. For more information, please visit our website
If you require any assistance during this time, don't hesitate to reach out ❤️
If the Sex Worker Relief Fund has shown us anything, it's that sex workers always look out for each other. Vic sex workers are unable to work and many cannot access government support. Do what you do best, share &/or donate now:
1/7 Good news: Vixen Collective has been working overtime to confirm what Step 3 means for sex workers in metropolitan Melbourne.
Bad news: We’re very close, but we’re not quite there yet.
'He didn’t want the real me; he didn’t want the grumpy person I worked so hard to squash. He spent time and money on the cheerful and thoughtful person from the club, the person who shrunk so he could see his reflection. He wanted the fake real me'
Vixen Collective is currently communicating with government to find out what the Step 3 announcement means for in-person sex work restrictions in metro Melbourne. More information coming as soon as we have it!
Why indeed?🤔Licensing is a failed model. The VIC govt has committed to replacing it with decriminalisation. SWers are fighting to throw licensing in the bin in VIC & QLD because it does not support SWer rights, privacy or health & safety. Licensing is NOT decriminalisation!
The VIC Government last week announced it would be abolishing its “outdated and difficult to navigate” licensing system as part of a move to full sex work decriminalisation"
Why is SAPOL now suggesting that we adopt a similar flawed licensing system?
Want to hear the latest on VIC decrim?
Join a sex worker-only info session to get the updates, hear what Vixen is doing, get info on upcoming community meetings and ways you can get involved in the campaign.
Tues 20th @ 1pm / Thurs 22nd @ 6pm.
RSVP to info
@vixencollective
.org
***COVID-19 UPDATE FOR VICTORIAN SEX WORKERS***
At this stage, restrictions on in-person sex work in Victoria have NOT changed. Check out the infographic for more info. For national
#COVID
-19 info visit
We are actively seeking more info. Stay tuned!
CALL TO ACTION for VIC sex workers (and allies)! There is still time to make difference to the Sex Work Decriminalisation Bill 2021. Here’s what you can do to make sure Victoria achieves FULL decrim for ALL sex workers
#nosexworkerleftbehind
More info:
1. Private sex workers CAN work
2. Sex workers CAN work for escort agencies
3. Brothel workers CAN provide outcall/escort services OFF PREMISES ONLY
2/6
It's a good news day! Thanks to the advocacy of Scarlet Alliance and our member organsations, sex work businesses, including brothels and strip clubs, are NO LONGER longer required to remain closed in stage 3 in the Federal roadmap!
We know this is beyond frustrating! We hope we can get something in place soon and hope there will be clear communication from the government moving forward. 8/8
Reporting on sex work? Get the facts right before you publish - we note you did not contact us or
@scarletalliance
. Inaccurate, unbalanced reporting on sex work is DANGEROUS - it contributes to the stigma and harm facing SWers in VIC and elsewhere in very real ways. Do better!
Interviewing one individual sex worker does NOT give you authority to generalise about Victorian sex workers. This piece was clearly also not fact-checked and contains a blatantly inaccurate information about sex work laws and incorrectly classifies us as 'high risk'.
1/10 Last week when Vixen Collective confirmed with DHHS that in-person private/outcall based sex work IS PERMITTED under Step 3, we requested additional written confirmation that could be shared with community. We have now received that email.
1/3 Vixen Collective is still confirming what the easing of restrictions this Friday 18/10 means for VIC sex workers. We're currently in communication with the government & will share updates ASAP as they come to hand. Watch this space for more information over the coming days!
#SexWork
decrim in NT!!!
“It's going to be a very huge relief, I think it will set a precedent as well for other sex workers who are fighting for rights,"
Leanne Melling of SWOP NT
Sex workers rights are WORKERS rights! ✊ We are proud to have the ongoing solidarity and support of the VIC union movement, and grateful for critical support from
@VicUnions
throughout the campaign to decriminalise sex work. This is what worker solidarity looks like!
Impacted by lockdown? The Scarlet Alliance Emergency Relief Fund is reopening for Victorian SWers only. It will stay open as long as COVID-19 restrictions impact VIC SWers. To receive funds next week, get your application in by 12pm Tuesday 1 June ☂️
Want to get involved in the VIC campaign for full decrim?
Come to our sex worker-only community meeting and help throw licensing in the bin in 2021!
April 28th, 3pm - 5pm at Trades Hall
RSVP required - please email info
@vixencollective
.org ☂️
We will be making an announcement shortly about sex work laws in Victoria following the latest round of eased restrictions. There has been some conflicting info from different government departments. We are clearing it up. Stay tuned!
VIC sex workers, your peer org needs you! We're looking for passionate peers for the Vixen Collective Committee. Get involved in decrim & SWer rights organising, peer ed, resource development, governance & community consultation & more! Deadline March 2nd:
International Sex Worker Rights Day on March 3rd will mark the day in 2001 when more than 25,000 sex workers in India successfully mobilised in public demonstrations when the government & sex work prohibitionists tried to shut down the Kolkata Sex Worker Freedom Festival. (1/5)
"If you want people like me to have safe working conditions, you need to listen to the real workplace health and safety experts – sex workers themselves"
@GeorgieWolf
on why VIC SWers are demanding full decrim for all of us
#nosexworkerleftbehind
It's no coincidence that QLD and VIC, two states that operate under licensing, are the two states without clear return dates. Licensing harms sex workers! FULL DECRIM NOW!
5/6
IWD is an event that started on June 2nd in 1975, when over 100 sex workers began an 8-day occupation at a church in Lyon, demanding the end of fines, stigma, & police harassment. It has since become a day of protest, celebration, & solidarity for sex workers all over the globe.
VIC sex workers! Snap Community Info Session - Unpacking the Sex Work Decriminalisation Bill 2021 this Friday 5pm via zoom.
Register at
Questions? Email info
@vixencollective
.org
Strictly SWers only!
On Transgender Day of Remembrance we remember and honour those we have lost. We stand in solidarity with our Trans family, friends and community, and vow to continue fighting transphobia in all its forms.
Victoria! Questions about brothels reopening? Vixen is running snap info sessions THIS WEEK for sex workers
Get the latest on brothel restrictions, yr rights & obligations at work, and COVIDSafe principles for brothels & private workers
Tues 24th 1pm
Fri 27th 12pm
DM to RSVP!
Just announced for VIC: new COVID restrictions from 11.59pm Sunday. We'll update ASAP re any impacts on sex work. Currently to the best of our knowledge: private work/escort agencies = yes. Brothel workers doing escort/outcall off-premises only = yes. Brothels = still closed. 1/3
International Whores Day
*TOMORROW*
Come & join Vixen Collective for a picnic in the park!
Where - Carlton Gardens
When - 3pm, Saturday June 2nd
Sex workers, friends, family & supporters welcome
BYO food/drinks
For more info:
#sexwork
#rightsnotrescue
Sex workers in VIC have long been advocating for a funded peer SW org run 100% by & for sex workers. In 2022 we will finally have one! This means Vixen is HIRING - All 16 roles require current/past sex work experience, applications close this Friday COB!