A new non-profit has been established in New York: Sex Work Awareness (SWA). Brought to life by four $pread magazine staff members (Eliyanna Kaiser, Audacia Ray, Susan Rohwer, and Kevicha Echols), the birth of the organization couldn’t come at a better time.
On March 13, 2008 we had our first fundraiser, hosted at Arena Studios in SoHo, which was well-attended by a group of very supportive people. In this video, three of the founders of the organization step forward to talk about what we hope to accomplish and what is driving us to do it. We also hear from elected officials NYS Senator Thomas K. Duane and NYS Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, who were in attendance.
Mission Statement
We believe that all sex workers have a right to self-determination; to choose how we make a living and what we do with our bodies.
We aim to empower our diverse community by building the capacity of sex worker-serving and sex worker member-based institutions as well as the skills and resources of sex workers themselves.
We also conduct research about sex workers and the sex industry in order to better understand it, develop public education initiatives, and advocate for the rights of sex workers.
