Message from the Vixen Collective

Vixen Collective extends thanks to those who attended and supported the Festival of Sex Work; sex workers, allies, supporters and members of the public, and for making the festival the a resounding success this year.

Sex workers and our representative organisations, like Vixen Collective, continue to strive to end stigma and discrimination, for the full decriminalisation of sex work, and for occupation health and safety, human and labour right for sex workers.

We hope to see all those who attended - peers, allies and supporters - at more events and rallies in Victoria, and to keep pursuing these essential goals together. Thank you all for your involvement, friendship and solidarity!

Melbourne 2015 Festival of Sex Work

2015 
FESTIVAL OF SEX WORK 
Melbourne
Fri 7th - Sun 9th August

Organised by the Vixen Collective

Please see our document regarding the Vixen Collective's - 
'Safer Spaces Policy', for the Festival of Sex Work (2015).

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"Vixen Collective regrets that the Festival of Sex Work is this year not able to be held in venues that provide for wheelchair access. Please note however that the Red Umbrella Rally on Sunday the 9th of August is an accessible event and is open to both sex workers and allies". 

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/festivalofsexwork
Twitter: @FoSexWork

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See the ITINERARY & individual event posts - 
for more information on Tickets & Event Booking. 

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FILM NIGHT

Please join us for the Festival of Sex Work Film Night.

Screening a selection of short films made by and featuring sex workers. 

Join us to celebrate and support sex worker film makers and the sex workers 

that feature in these films!

Sat, Aug 8th, 7pm

Courthouse Hotel, Corner Errol & Queensberry St

North Melbourne

PUBLIC Event

Films Screening:

69 Things I Love About Sex Work (Director - Isabel Hosti, Canada, 2006)

Coming Out As A Sex Worker - For Sex Workers & Our Families (Filmmakers - Ryan & Hanako, Australia, 2013)

You're A Winner - Sprinkle Magic (Director - Douglas Brook, Australia, 1996)

Booking With A Worker In A Decriminalised State (Filmmaker - Holly in Griffith, Australia, 2014)

The films '69 Things I Love About Sex Work' and 'You're A Winner' come to us via the San Francisco Bay Area Sex Worker Film and Arts Festival.... http://sexworkerfest.com/

The films playing as part of the Festival of Sex Work Film Night contain adult themes and images and as such Vixen Collective recommends this be treated as an R18 event

You can book via the Event Brite link below:

Ticket Purchase - FILM Night

Sex workers are encouraged to book at the 'concession' rate, but Vixen Collective does not wish ticket prices to be a barrier to entry for any peer, so if this is the case, come along on the night and you will be admitted free of charge (Vixen Collective).

Note: the majority of events during the Festival of Sex Work are free of charge, however as an unfunded organisation Vixen Collective is taking this opportunity to raise funds to go some small way towards covering its work in the upcoming year.

Vixen Collective regrets that the Festival of Sex Work is this year not able to be held in venues that provide for wheelchair access.  Please note however that the Red Umbrella Rally on Sunday the 9th of August is an accessible event and is open to both sex workers and allies.

ASK A SEX WORKER A QUESTION - Public Forum

Please join us for the Opening Night Launch 

of the Melbourne, 2015 'Festival of Sex Work'. 

'Art Exhibition Opening'

Friday, August 7th, 6pm

with Debby Doesn't Do It For Free

followed by 

'Ask a Sex Worker a Question'

Friday, August 7th, 7pm

This event is open to the public.

Ticket Purchase information and link below.

Ask a Sex Worker a Question Panelists:

Cam Cox - I started sex working whilst still at high school as a street based sex worker at the Wall in Sydney. I currently sex work, write & lecture on sex worker rights, criminalisation, HIV and biomedical prevention, and was recently appointed CEO of Sex Workers Outreach Project NSW. 

Dallas Taylor - I am a full service sex worker and have worked in brothels, massage parlours, and privately. I'm a trans man who works as female. I've mostly worked in Sydney and Melbourne. 

Lucie Bee - I'm a Mattress Actress, Escort and Sex Geek. Gamer Girl and Marvel Tragic. I've had a knack for chatting with journos lately. I'm loud and unapologetic and pretty fiery when it comes to the Australian Sex and Porn industries. 

Mistress Lux - Current incarnation MzLux Professional Dominatrix. Specialising in humiliation, degradation, psychological torture…. or being a whore in societies war! I don't like vanilla ice cream, sex worker politics and I swear. 

Ryan Cole - I began my sex work career in my hometown of Melbourne at a strip club, but now work privately from home and touring other cities - working from hotels and sometimes from the street. 

You can book via the Event Brite link below:

Sex workers are encouraged to book at the 'concession' rate, but Vixen Collective does not wish ticket prices to be a barrier to entry for any peer, so if this is the case, come along on the night and you will be admitted free of charge (Vixen Collective).

Ticket Purchase - Opening Night

Note: the majority of events during the Festival of Sex Work are free of charge, however as an unfunded organisation Vixen Collective is taking this opportunity to raise funds to go some small way towards covering its work in the upcoming year.

Vixen Collective regrets that the Festival of Sex Work is this year not able to be held in venues that provide for wheelchair access.  Please note however that the Red Umbrella Rally on Sunday the 9th of August is an accessible event and is open to both sex workers and allies.

WORKSHOPS

Sat, August 8th, 11am to 5pm

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WORKSHOPS:

11am Sex Work & Publishing

12.05pm BDSM Skill Share

2pm BDSM Skill Share (cont) 

3.10pm Anal Play Workshop

4.15pm Dating Dramas

SEX-WORKER ONLY

Please RSVP via - vixencollectivemelbourne@gmail.com

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Workshops:

Sex Work and Publishing
Academia, blogs, newsprint, research & beyond.  We have a presence, always pushing back against whorephobia. Come and debrief, let it out, we are the experts, hear us roar!

BDSM Skill Share
Part 1 - What is B&D, S&M, Fetish and Kink.  What is the difference between being a dominant, submissive, slave, kinky play partner and what is required in each of these scenes.  What are client expectations and how to manage yourself and safety when dealing with each of these situations.
Part 2 - Sex worker BDSM Action Kit including: what equipment to have in it based on what your clients are asking for, environment you work in (in a brothel or escorting), confidence, experience and money.

Anal Play Workshop
A skill share on anal play, discussing prostrate massage techniques, a detailed discussion of the different types of orgasms that can achieved through butt play and how to achieve them. How to achieve painless penetration, stressing both the importance of foreplay in this area and of sensitization as well as what to do once you get inside. Also discusses pegging, the use of toys, fisting and some of the dom/sub play that can be incorporated into anal play.

Dating Dramas
A group for people to get together and share our experiences of the difficulties of dating while being a worker, and sharing tips for how to talk to partners about your work/how and where to draw boundaries etc.

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SEX-WORKER ONLY

Please RSVP via - vixencollectivemelbourne@gmail.com

Media Release - Melbourne 2015 Fesival of Sex Work

Melbourne 2015 Festival of Sex Work

Media Release

Vixen Collective, Victoria's peer only sex worker organisation, is for the third time running the Festival of Sex Work, from Friday August 7th until Sunday August 9th 2015.

The Festival is a celebration of the lives, skills, culture and community of sex workers, and will include a number of different events. Some of these events will be for sex workers only, whilst others will be open to the public.

The Festival of Sex Work is being organised by Vixen Collective, a group run by and for sex workers in Victoria, and the Festival organising committee is 100% comprised of current and former sex workers.

Vixen Collective member, Rahni Bell, says: "It's a chance for sex workers to come together as a community, have some fun, celebrate talents and skill sharing from our colleagues and escape from the stereotypes we, as sex workers, are so often subject to in everyday life"

Despite the fact that Melbourne was the first place in the world to fund a sex worker organisation, the current situation in Victoria is that government funding goes to services that have a vested interest in portraying sex workers as a health issue or as exploited victims in need of rescuing.

Much of the discourse and decision making about sex work in Victoria excludes sex workers. The Festival of Sex Work provides an opportunity for Victorian sex workers to challenge stereotypes and to have their voices heard.

"Sex workers are so often talked about, but not listened to as a community. Sex workers refuse to be silenced and the Festival of Sex Work is a chance for Victorian sex workers to speak up about their own lives and work." Vixen Collective member, Riley Alexander.

The Festival of Sex Work is created solely by the volunteer efforts and resources of sex workers themselves, working with no corporate sponsorship or government funding.

The Festival of Sex Work aims to be a safe space for sex workers and their allies, one that protects the human rights and respects the diverse perspectives and experiences of sex workers.

The public events for the Festival will be held at the Courthouse Hotel in North Melbourne and will include a public 'Ask A Sex Worker A Question' panel, a 'Festival of Sex Work Film Night' (screening films made by and featuring sex workers), and a sex worker Art Exhibition.

For more information please visit our website:


Festival of Sex Work - http://festivalofsexwork.blogspot.com.au/

Vixen Collective - http://vixencollective.blogspot.com.au/

For further media information or interviews, please contact: Jane Green, Media Liaison: 0420 887 845

ITINERARY - Calendar of Festival Events

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"Vixen Collective regrets that the Festival of Sex Work is this year not able to be held in venues that provide for wheelchair access. Please note however that the Red Umbrella Rally on Sunday the 9th of August is an accessible event and is open to both sex workers and allies."

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The Festival of Sex Work 
Art Exhibition
August 7-9th

Opening Hours:

August 7th 6pm - 9pm

August 8th 12pm - 9pm

August 9th - 12pm - 3pm

Courthouse Hotel
Corner Errol & Queensberry St,
North Melbourne

This Exhibition is open to the public.

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The Festival of Sex Work 
Opening Night

'Art Exhibition'
Short intro by 'Debby Doesn't Do It For Free'
Friday, August 7th, 6pm
(Before 'Ask a Sex Worker a Question')

'Ask a Sex Worker a Question'
Public Forum & Panel Discussion
Friday, August 7th, 7pm


Ask a Sex Worker a Question Panelists:

Cam Cox, Dallas Taylor, Lucie Bee, Mistress Lux, Ryan Cole 

Courthouse Hotel
Corner Errol & Queensberry St,
North Melbourne

This event is open to the public.

You can book via the Event Brite link below:

Sex workers are encouraged to book at the 'concession' rate, but Vixen Collective does not wish ticket prices to be a barrier to entry for any peer, so if this is the case, come along on the night and you will be admitted free of charge (Vixen Collective).

Opening Night Tickets - Ask a Sex Worker a Question


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Festival of Sex Work 
'WORKSHOPS'
Saturday, August 8th, 11am to 5pm.

Sex-Worker ONLY Event.

RSVP via - vixencollectivemelbourne@gmail.com

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Festival of Sex Work 
'Film Night'
Saturday, August 8th, 7pm.

This event is open to the public.

Festival of Sex Work Film Night - screening a selection of short films made by and featuring sex workers. Join us to celebrate and support sex worker film makers and the sex workers that feature in these films!

Films Screening:

69 Things I Love About Sex Work (Director - Isabel Hosti, Canada, 2006)

Coming Out As A Sex Worker - For Sex Workers & Our Families (Filmmakers - Ryan & Hanako, Australia, 2013)

You're A Winner - Sprinkle Magic (Director - Douglas Brook, Australia, 1996)

Booking With A Worker In A Decriminalised State (Filmmaker - Holly in Griffith, Australia, 2014)

The Films '69 Things I Love About Sex Work' and 'You're A Winner' 
come to us via the - San Francisco Bay Area Sex Worker Film and Arts Festival…
http://sexworkerfest.com/

You can book via the Event Brite link below:

Sex workers are encouraged to book at the 'concession' rate, but Vixen Collective does not wish ticket prices to be a barrier to entry for any peer, so if this is the case, come along on the night and you will be admitted free of charge (Vixen Collective).

Film Night Tickets

The films playing as part of the Festival of Sex Work Film Night contain adult themes and images and as such Vixen Collective recommends this be treated as an R18 event.

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Festival of Sex Work 
'Red Umbrella Rally for Sex Worker Rights'
Sunday, Aug 9th, 12pm.
State Library of Victoria

Friends and Supporters welcome.

You do not have to book for this event.

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Festival of Sex Work 

'Whore's Lunch'
Sunday, Aug 9th, 1.30pm.

Sex-worker ONLY event

RSVP via - vixencollectivemelbourne@gmail.com

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Festival of Sex Work 
'WHOREDROBE'
A Vixen Collective Fundraiser
Sunday, Aug 9th, 6pm
(Before the 'Performance Night')

Sex-worker ONLY event

RSVP via - vixencollectivemelbourne@gmail.com

The Vixen Collective is still looking for donations for Whoredrobe. Please email vixen at vixencollectivemelbourne@gmail.com. Donations can be collected from around Melbourne, Tues to Thurs, or can be dropped off, at the Exhibition throughout the Festival, or during the Workshops.

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Festival of Sex Work 
'Performance Night'
Sunday, Aug 9th, 7pm
(After 'Whoredrobe')

Sex-worker ONLY event

RSVP via - vixencollectivemelbourne@gmail.com

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"Vixen Collective regrets that the Festival of Sex Work is this year not able to be held in venues that provide for wheelchair access. Please note however that the Red Umbrella Rally on Sunday the 9th of August is an accessible event and is open to both sex workers and allies". 

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Please check back for more updates and information. 

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