Sex Workers and Sex-positive business people can sometimes be shamed about their work, and meeting with peers can help support you. How do you meet them?
With Reid Mihalko from ReidAboutSex.com and Cathy Vartuli from TheIntimacyDojo.com.
Cathy: Are you going to do the business thing?
Reid: Yah I’m going to do the business thing cause when I’m wearing the Sex Geek Summer Camp t-shirt that means were talking about business for sex educators and things like that.
Cathy: What’s like wearing purple orchid in your head?
Reid: Oh there’s a purple orchids behind me. I’m Reid Mihalko from http://ReidAboutSex.com. Creator of Sex Geek Summer Camp.
Cathy: Cathy Vartuli from http://TheIntimacyDojo.com.
Reid: We love it when you write in and we have a sex educator person write in about…
Cathy: Yes! So she said I’m helping one online swap meeting but I want to meet fellow workers but I’m feeling I’m struggling with it. My ex-wife left me saying she didn’t marry a prostitute and she doesn’t want shame and fear about judgment…
Reid: Cool
Cathy: If she reaches out.
Reid: Well alright. I mean, we apologize for culture sex negativity and people change. Sometimes it change or get having callings and that wasn’t people agreed to when they first cut together. In behalf of just culture sex negatives, I apologize that you’re experiencing something not wanting to continue being in a relationship because you’ve chosen sex work and even sex educators get shamed. So whatever sex positive entrepreneurial endeavors you have, you are already working and helping with swap sex worker outreach program,
Cathy: You did great
Reid: You can find it http://swapusa.org. You want to meet with other light minded providers or sex workers or however… whatever your area of sex geekery is you’re looking for your tribe so that you don’t feel judge and so alone.
Cathy: And it’s a challenging work with a lot of suicidal pressure so it really makes a difference with a lot of people that you can talk and say, “Oh my God.”
Reid: The thing that I would advocate for is swap is a great organization and lot of different chapters in all different kind of cities. See if there is actually live meet-up in your area and you might already look. There’s an annual conference that swap helps one so you can go again to http://swapusa.org and check out when that conference is going to be and where it’s going to be held. I don’t know how they run it but maybe you can volunteer if there are opportunities. If you can’t afford to get there directly you never have to check that stuff out. Other really awesome sex positive conferences that happen all over the place that are also very sex worker positive. There’s Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance…
Cathy: Cool. Catalyst
Reid: and sexual freedom summit that Woodhull does. There’s CatalystCon which is you can find http://CatalystCon.com. There’s bunch of other of sex educators type of things and actual sex ed conference. There’s also AASECT Conference it’s happening and that’s all sex therapist and councilors. You can get into a whole talk about which conferences or are sex worker friendly or which aren’t but very much so swap conference which I think is still being called Desiree and I can be wrong on that and I apologize for I am. CatalystCon is also very sexual friendly and even have sex worker meet-up and Woodhull’s very sex worker friendly. I would start there and find your tribe and there are other conferences happening around the country and there’s the APN porn. Fan expo that happens in Las Vegas some things like that but I would start at swap and Catalyst and Woodhull first.
Cathy: Yeah! And if you can remember what passion brought you to this far and how many people you can help that might reconnecting with her mission might help or raise some of the shame and judgment that you received from your ex-wife and I’m sorry you have to face that.
Reid: Yup! And if you just happen to be identifies as a sex worker who’s doing more tantra-e things. There’s also a bunch of different tantra type meet up some conferences and they keep changing names on them. So you could reach out to me if you’re looking for that stuff and [inaudible 00:04:33] because I can’t… right at the top of my head.
Cathy: Thanks for asking.
Reid: Yah! Thank you. Good luck! See you around.