Diversity in Sex Work

Stepping Stone is a user-directed nonprofit organization that provides support and services to current and former sex workers, and people who have been trafficked. Established in 1987, we have over 30 years of experience supporting women, men, and members of the QTBIPOC community 16 years old and above. All individuals have the right to self-determination, safe working conditions, and security, and these are values that permeate Stepping Stone’s advocacy. Our program users’ needs are as diverse as their stories, experiences, and identities, which our growing number of services reflect by providing a drop-in center, street and community outreach, programming, court, housing, and peer support, and most recently, a four-unit apartment available for unhoused program users geared towards transitioning into stable housing.

The purpose of our project is two-fold: first, to showcase the expressive talent of our program users by displaying their visual artwork, and second, to share our organization's work with community members. At the end of 2022, in collaboration with our program-users, Stepping Stone published a zine titled “Diversity in Sex Work”, containing poetry and mix-visual media that reflects on the interplay between collectivity and diversity within Stepping Stone and broader sex work community. Sex workers are disproportionately affected by stigma and discrimination when accessing services and engaging in public discourse. The goal of this project is to break down those barriers and share the unique experience of sex workers through their artwork.