Prostitution and Sex Workers

The Oldest Profession

Gag Order: Sex Workers Allege Mistreatment at Kink.com

Human Traffickers Won't Get to Pocket Profits Made off Slavery Under New Bill

Two state bills passed through the state Legislature today that force convicted criminals to give up any profits they make from trafficking minors into California. The trafficking cash would be funneled into helping the emotionally traumatized victims, Attorney General Kamala Harris said.Senator Mar ... More >>

Cops Nab Pimps and Johns in Prostitution Sting

The SFPD, in conjunction with the FBI, conducted a prostitution sweep last week in which they nabbed seven men across the Bay Area, and rescued 60-plus women who had been working as prostitutes. Two of those arrests were in San Francisco: Jonathon Thomas, a 23-year-old "john" soliciting prostituti ... More >>

Human Traffickers Will No Longer Be Able to Keep Their Profits Under New Legislation

It only makes sense that human traffickers convicted of enslaving young girls should have to pay -- literally. A new state bill passed through committee today would force those criminals to give up any profits they make from trafficking minors in California. San Francisco Senator Mark Leno authored ... More >>

Sex Worker Awareness: St. James Infirmary Takes Message to WHO

The Super Bowl Prostitution Hoax

Indianapolis mobilizes for an epic battle with an urban legend.

Sex Work and Society

Porn Star Activist Jiz Lee Talks About When and How Sex Workers Can Give Consent

​The ethics of consent is becoming a hot, vital topic of discussion in alternative sexuality communities. While talking about consent is something that never quite goes away, especially in BDSM communities, a lot of the dialogue doesn't stray much beyond making sure that everyone is over 18 and kn ... More >>

Support SB 596: Bill Would Fund Shelter and Counseling for Child Prostitutes

Lost Boys: New Research Demolishes the Stereotype of the Underage Sex Worker

Sex Worker Advocates Launch First Media Campaign -- on Muni

​When you consider the unsavory elements one encounters on Muni -- seeds, stabbings, sermons, and semen, -- an ad campaign advocating for prostitutes' rights is rather benign.Local sex worker activists have launched a media campaign aimed to educate the bus-riding populace that sex workers are pe ... More >>

San Francisco Girls Are Helping Oakland Prostitutes

Owls on the move. ​Last year we wrote about the San Francisco nonprofit Center for Young Women's Development burning -- yes, literally burning -- an unexpected $100,000 check from Craigslist sent to them. The executive director, Marlene Sanchez, told us that the center's clients thought the websit ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Underage Sex Trafficking: What the Real Numbers Show

Real Men Don't Buy Girls​Despite what news reports have been saying, the underage prostitution industry isn't exactly as pervasive as it seems. The science behind data showing there's as many as 300,000 child prostitutes has never truly been challenged -- until now. Village Voice Media recently sp ... More >>

Transgression Run Amok

The Oldest Profession Gets a New Look

Human Trafficking: Campaign Aims to Get More Victims to Come Forward

SPF 15 - for protection from UV rays and from human trafficking in one.​The nonprofit that counsels women who have been arrested for prostitution in San Francisco and the Mexican Consulate have launched a new campaign to seriously crack down on human trafficking. Obviously, the goal is to get more ... More >>

Super Bowl Was Yet Another Chance for Bogus Numbers

Women's Funding Network Sex Trafficking Study Is Junk Science

Schapiro Group data wasn't questioned by mainstream media.

Chris Daly Roasted -- Video Footage

​People lined up to hear the famously foulmouthed Supervisor Chris Daly get a dose of his own. Daly managed to rake in $5,000 at his Wednesday night roast, drawing a big crowd of both friends and foes. All of that money, Daly says, is going to the St. James Infirmary, which provides medical care ... More >>

Wearing Nothing But a Book

Stung

Men don’t have to agree to sex in order to get busted in a prostitution sting. They just have to seem interested.

Prostitutes Set to Protest Today

Coming to Polk and Sutter at noon...​Angry prostitutes who won't stand for the city's proposed sit/lie laws are holding a "stand-in" today. The San Francisco-based US PROStitutes Collective -- which has a Facebook page -- have organized the noontime Polk and Sutter "stand-in" At issue is a propose ... More >>

"Love" for Sale

Unhappy Hookers: Supervisor Carmen Chu Meets Anti-Harlotry Crusader Melissa Farley Today

Lucky for them, Texas ain't in Carmen Chu's jurisdictionPetite, understated, and measured Supervisor Carmen Chu isn't the first person one might choose to face off against crowds of angry hookers. But after months of chaperoning controversial legislation that tightens the City's reigns on massage pa ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Craigslist executive accuses newspapers of hurting his site's bottom line

A Beautiful Risk

Tired of hiding the truth, she transitioned into a male sex worker. He’s been in a struggle with societal norms — and himself — ever since.

The Art of Sex Workers

Ride the Lighting

Craig Newmark speaks at victim's memorial in wake of Craigslist killings

Craig Newmark speaks at victim's memorial in wake of Craigslist killings

Rated X

A Twisted Tale

A well-known erotic performer is now an international fugitive. A look into who’s getting caught up in the identity theft crackdown.

Last Resort

Middle-aged sex tourists fail to get their groove back

Letters to the Editor

Week of Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Too Sexy for Their Social Services

Radio Free Nepal

An S.F. organization is providing radios and radio programming that just may save lives a world away

Love Among the Tombstones

A collection of cutting-edge films, including one on S.F.'s cemeteries

Letters to the Editor

Week of Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Lap Victory

How a DA's decision to drop prostitution charges against lap dancers will change the sexual culture of S.F. -- and, perhaps, the country

Sex Goddesses?

Reagan Louie's secret world

Mixing Business With Pleasure

Catch the Sex Worker Film and Video Festival before Ashcroft outlaws fun

True Professions

What do you call whores who don't have sex and porn stars who don't get paid?

Sex, Work, and Videotape

Hookers, dancers, and porn stars on parade at the Sex Worker Film and Video Festival

Savage Love

Hallinan's Right Cross

The narrow bandwidth of San Francisco politics makes most elections a contest between liberals. The DA's race, which pitted prosecutor Bill Fazio against centrist Arlo Smith and progressive Terence Hallinan, promised to change all that. But when Fazio zig