queer.red manifesto
Mission
Our mission is to mobilise resources, help build platforms, movement and networks which are needed to advance sex worker rights. This is done by promoting visual arts about, with by and about the sex worker community.
Objectives
queer.red Foundation was born to contribute to a greater visibility of a more nuanced representation of sex work, challenge existing stigmatization of sex workers in society, promote emancipation and empowerment of sex workers in all social and economic sectors and improve their control over their bodies, working conditions and rights.
We aim to achieve this primarily by: organizing cultural and social events primarily in the form of a film & art festival and events, with a focus on sex work as an intersectional experience. These events will focus on promoting films and art created by and for the sex worker community and by producing platforms that provide space for networking, inspiration, artistic expression and education.
Our objective is to increase the acknowledgment that sex work is not a fixed identity, but rather intersects with choice, sexual orientation and gender, capitalism and socialism, economic capacity, migration and border controls, as well state and individualized oppressions and power dynamics. We intend to produce events that connect siloed movements, making the intersectional experience of being in a politicized body traditionally excluded from other political spaces and narratives, more visible.
Why we do what we do
We are a group of (former) sex workers, feminists, queer and trans people from all different walks of life and backgrounds. Years of activism have taught us the valuable lesson that we are often fighting separate struggles which actually intersect on many levels: we are all minorities facing and fighting similar injustices, stigmas and misrepresentations. By bringing different minority identities together we hope that others will also realize and feel inspired to unite and stand strong together against discrimination, violence, injustice and oppression in all its different forms. We want to help raise awareness of the current lack of public resources and support for sex workers to organise, strengthen and grow.
How we work
By ensuring a platform and resources to raise voices, strengthen networks, find allies and fight for rights, we do this through our key strategies:
- Providing a platform for (artistic) voices and representations
- Mobilising resources towards participants and contributors
- Strengthen networks & alliances
- Changing public narratives (by presenting alternatives created mainly by its own communities)
We prioritise artistic narratives and expressions which:
- are created by (or with) sex workers
- break down stigmas and address one-dimensional representations
- point out underrepresented issues
- have an intersectional approach
- are from all parts of the world
For whom we work
We are comited to mobilise resources from institutions, organisations and sponsors to support the artists within these communities who create visual arts by, with and about the sex worker community, in order to strengthen platforms, movements and networks which are needed to advance sex worker rights.
We prioritise people from the sex worker community and also strongly encourage other marginalized groups, allies and policy-makers to attend our festival.
Our views on art
A work of art is never beautiful by decree, objective and for all. We believe that we need it all: showcase art made by renowned artists as well as artists from within our communities. We need art to lift up our spirits. To showcase art from within our communities is to challenge mainstream narratives. Sex work artivism is not only politics, socio-economics, health and getting our rights, but it is also pleasure and beauty! And let us make room for the experimental, artistically in content and shape, to make us wonder: “But, is it art”