Just to say...
I shall be speaking at this year's annual Compass conference. This will be only the second time I've spoken in public about my experiences, and I've had butterflies ever since I agreed to speak there! I tend to get a lot of conflicting emotions whenever I speak out about this stuff, be it through my blog, through testimonies online or in public, face to face. I believe 100% it's so important that the message gets out there about what the sex industry really means for women, behind its feminist language. But I also find it incredibly painful to look at my past, and sometimes I have to back off for a while and take care of myself.
However, I'm putting in place some good safety measures for myself (being around friends afterwards, etc) and am speaking alongside a couple of women there who I'm lucky to be able to count as friends. I really have met the most amazing, strong and warm hearted people as I have got active in speaking out about prostitution and domestic violence. So I'm excited to be seeing them again, and also to have been given another opportunity to try to get the truth out there. Here's hoping some people turn up!
This year’s Compass conference is confirmed to take place on Saturday 12 June 2010 at the Institute of Education, London, with this particular seminar being held at 11am. Details are to be found at www.compassonline.org.uk There are lots of interesting sounding seminars, so we've got serious competition!
If you or anyone you know may be interested in attending, do it! It would be great to meet some like minded people, and the feedback I've had on this blog has been much appreciated - it would be good to meet some of you.
Apologies to those of you who are not based round London - I get frustrated myself sometimes as a Northerner that I can't get more involved. UK Feminista is one of the organisations I'm part of which is aiming to do something about that, so perhaps soon we'll have something similar further up country.
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Hi,it was lovely meeting you today - hope you got back okay Silvia xx
ReplyDeleteHello. I just wanted to say I attended your workshop and found your contribution really moving and powerful. Thank you for speaking up, for raising our awareness about your experiences and for promoting the Demand Change campaign.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI was also at the UK Feminista workshop on Saturday and I have to admit I was moved to tears by your testimony of all you went through and your struggle to come out the other side. You are an incredibly brave and inspirational woman and don't let anyone tell you differently!
Hearing you and the other speakers helped clarify issues that I have been struggling to get my head around for a while - specifically the supposed unionisation of prostituted women and the impression given that prostitution is just a job like any other; and the idea that pornography is just a bit of harmless fun. I felt instictively that these impressions were wrong but kept coming up against the arguments about choice and empowerment as far as prostitution was concerned, and the idea that men supposedly "need" sex more than women and we should be grateful that they're just wanking over porn rather than having affairs and using prostitutes. I actually had this argument with a friend the other night and was so frustrated afterwards that she hadn't accepted my argument that pornography is exploitative and harmful to women, and in addition to berating myself for not having argued more cogently, I began questioning all over again whether I was making too big a deal out of porn and maybe I should just lighten up.
Well, thankfully the UK Feminista seminar put an end to those thoughts. As soon as Kat started talking about the language of feminism having been adopted by the sex industry and used to justify its exploitative practices, it was like a light switch had flicked and I suddenly realised that this strategy was so successful it had well and truly confused me and I understood why, up till now, I had found it hard to make a clear case against the sex industry (After the argument with my friend I googled 'arguments against pornography' and the search results actually returned more articles arguing the case FOR pornography than it did those against it).
I bought Kat's book on Saturday and have been devouring it since. I also want to read more of your blog as the little I've read so far is extremely powerful and beautifully written. I have come home inspired by you and the other speakers to get involved in the fight against this evil, soul destroying industry. Thank you so much for being brave enough to share your story.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI was also at the UK Feminista workshop on Saturday and I have to admit I was moved to tears by your testimony of all you went through and your struggle to come out the other side. You are an incredibly brave and inspirational woman and don't let anyone tell you differently!
Hearing you and the other speakers helped clarify issues that I have been struggling to get my head around for a while - specifically the supposed unionisation of prostituted women and the impression given that prostitution is just a job like any other; and the idea that pornography is just a bit of harmless fun. I felt instinctively that these impressions were wrong but kept coming up against the arguments about choice and empowerment as far as prostitution was concerned, and the idea that men supposedly "need" sex more than women and we should be grateful that they're just wanking over porn rather than having affairs and using prostitutes. I actually had this argument with a friend the other night and was so frustrated afterwards that she hadn't accepted my argument that pornography is exploitative and harmful to women, and in addition to berating myself for not having argued more cogently, I began questioning all over again whether I was making too big a deal out of porn and maybe I should just lighten up.
Well, thankfully the UK Feminista seminar put an end to those thoughts. As soon as Kat started talking about the language of feminism having been adopted by the sex industry and used to justify its exploitative practices, it was like a light switch had flicked and I suddenly realised that this strategy was so successful it had well and truly confused me and I understood why, up till now, I had found it hard to make a clear case against the sex industry (After the argument with my friend I googled 'arguments against pornography' and the search results actually returned more articles arguing the case FOR pornography than it did those against it).
I bought Kat's book on Saturday and have been devouring it since. I also want to read more of your blog as the little I've read so far is extremely powerful and beautifully written. I have come home inspired by you and the other speakers to get involved in the fight against this evil, soul destroying industry. Thank you so much for being brave enough to share your story.