December 17th is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. On this day, and always, we honor the memories and lives of those taken from our community and recommit ourselves to solidarity–to the struggle to decriminalize + destigmatize our work and demand an end to criminalization. This is a day to demand the end of all racist, transphobic and whorephobic violence.
Video art by Valentina Vargas and Juan Pablo Robledo. Created in collaboration with UnionDocs, members of Survived & Punished NY and Alisha Walker.
Subtitles alternate between English and Spanish.
You can follow Valentina Vargas, on Instagram at @vvalentinavvs
Full text of Alisha’s poem that was sourced for this piece (her poetry zine can be purchased in our online shop):
“A cage within a cage”
Sitting in a cage within a cage
Rotting away
Can’t breathe
Suffocating
No fresh air
Please let me out
Finally a nice day
Unlocks the door
Still within a cage
Soaking up the sun
Squirrels running rapid
Breath of fresh air
Barbwire fence
My sight of sky
Still isn’t clear
Makes me sick to my stomach
To think where I could be
Finally a nice day
Still not FREE
I just want to go back
To
Sitting in a cage within a cage
Maybe the still air will numb this pain