2002 Conference— The Business of Bodies: Women & The Global Sex Market
Within the international feminist discourse, the topic of sex work is often overlooked or oversimplified. With this conference we are hoping to broaden our collective understanding of sex work and women's involvement with the industry on a transglobal scale. Looking at sex work through the lens of interesecting identities, we hope to move beyond the "Reclimation of Power vs. Objectification" debate into a dialogue exploring the nuances of women's experiences within the sex industry.

Speaker Biographies

Cristina Alcivar has been an exotic dancer for the past eight years. She has been advocating for strippers rights in Canada for the last several years.

Siobhan Brooks was a union organizer at the Lusty Lady Theater, a board member of hte Exotic Dancers Alliance and is currently pursuing a PhD in sociology at the New School. She is working on an interview book with sex workers of color.

Karen DiRiso is an anthropology student in the masters program at Hunter College in New York City. She has primarily focused on the Manhattan brothel industry, exaxmining the rights and protections lacking within this facet of sex work.

Elisa Facio is an associate professor at CU Boulder who has done extensive research into issues concerning Chicana feminism. Her most recent work has been researching sex work in post-socialist Cuba.

Kamala Kempadoo is an Assistant Professor in Women's Studies and Sociology. She teaches intersections of gender, class and race, Caribbean Women's Studies and global development. Her research focuses on racial, national, gendered and economic relations in the global sex trade. She is currently editing a book entitled Transnational Sex Work: Prostitution, Migration and Development and is working on an elaboration of her study "Exotic Colonies: Women in the Caribbean Sex Trade."

Carol Leigh, also known as the Scarlot Harlot is one of the leaders of sex workers' rights in this country and internationally. Leigh has been working as a prostitut activist and artist in the San Francisco Bay area for the past 20 years. An award winning filmmaker, Carol Leigh's work includes documentaries on women's issues and gay and lesbian issues. In addition to being a founding member of ACT UP, Leigh has been an outreach volunteer providing condoms, safety information, and food to street workers in San Francisco.