Abstract
Sex work has long been problematised by a moral society that is reproduced in the ideology of much of the research that is conducted. Consequently, sex workers remain marginalised, separated from mainstream society through processes of discrimination affecting access to financial markets, internet platforms, housing, health, justice, education, travel and immigration. A sex worker rights principle, “nothing about us without us”, has encouraged sex workers to be active producers of knowledge. This chapter describes some of my precarious experiences as a sex working and sex researching academic, highlighting the emotional, mental, sexual, financial, personal, professional and reputational risks of a research career. Writing this chapter contributes to my activism, which can never be fully realised as stigma forces my anonymity.
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Notes
- 1.
I received no funding for my research, and five applications for scholarships were rejected despite my eligibility.
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Acknowledgements
I am extremely grateful to the proud, super smart sex working academics who have critiqued this paper, including Roxana Baratosy (Flinders University), Elena Jeffreys (Queensland University of Technology) and Zahra Stardust (University of New South Wales). I also wish to acknowledge the risks taken and the trust endowed by my enduring supervisor and mentor.
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Dr Anonymous. (2021). Still Anonymous: Stigma, Silencing and Sex Work in Australia. In: Mulligan, D.L., Danaher, P.A. (eds) Researchers at Risk. Palgrave Studies in Education Research Methods. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53857-6_2
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