In 2004, a group of sex workers came together in partnership with Simon Fraser University in the hopes of discovering the history of sex work, our history, in the City of Vancouver. How did sex workers contribute to its growth, character and its conception?

In recent years, the sex workers civil rights movement has become an international effort and sex workers all over the world are demanding Human rights and labor standards. As in all civil rights movements, we need to understand our history in order to understand our place in the community.

The foundation for change is to have pride in ourselves and the accomplishments of the sex workers before us. We wanted to understand the factors which came to bear on the quality of life for sex workers throughout the life of our city. So, we investigated economic history, the history of poverty, the history of medicine, the history of laws and enforcement, the history of the city itself, the history of arts and fashion, the history of the sex worker movement, the history of the women’s movement in particular women’s suffrage, and the history of “Organized Crime” which we called “our community”.

Looking at these various contributing factors began to show us our place in the community, our traditional neighborhoods, and how the situation has become as dangerous as it is. Throughout the history of out city sex workers have been affected by many of the same things as other community members. Major world events affect us all as well as local issues specific to Vancouver and the popular opinion of Vancouverites.

One thing is clear, Sex Workers have always and remain to this day an integral part of our city and have contributed greatly to it’s color, diversity and personality!

This project was a journey for us and has become the foundation for many of the West Coast Cooperative of Sex Industry Professionals developing enterprises. We’d like to thank everyone who helped along the way and who have taken the time to consider our findings.

You can find more information on the history of sex work project by visiting http://www.sfu.ca/community/sexwork.htm.

Copies of the book written by project participants may be purchased through the continuing studies department at SFU harbor center. All profits are voted on and controlled by the project participants.

Sex Worker Collective in the Phillipines