In “How to Build a Hookers Army” Vanessa Carlisle describes how they were able to build a strong community for sex workers that teaches self-defense that is trauma-informed and tailored towards sex workers. This community is more than self-defense, it represents a place for sex workers to support one another in whatever way they need it. Carlisle’s essay helps to emphasize how negative attitudes towards sex workers put them in danger, how they have to rely on one another to undo that harm, and how important community building and mutual aid are for marginalized people. Carlisle suggests that “trusting your gut” is not always right as our guts are just our biases internalized and turned into a physical response. Your gut can lead you to reinforce racist/classist stereotypes and victim-blaming yourself.
I think Carlisle’s piece provides a nice counter to Sharon Marcus’s ideas. I feel like Carlisle’s approach is a little more nuanced as they discuss the failures of a self-defense-focused anti-rape campaign. Self-defense will unfortunately not always work to prevent sexual violence and abuse, so it is important that victims have people to go to for support and care. Self-defense should be accompanied by community building, especially in the case of sex workers.
Carlisle, Vanessa. “How to Build a Hooker’s Army”. We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival, Feminist Press, 2021.
