Sex and consent are two concepts that are inextricably linked, both of which have recently been the focus of considerable discourse in the wake of Grace Tame and Chanel Contos ' activism.
When it comes to sex work, however, the stigma surrounding the industry's intimate service offerings often saddles the concept of consent with unwritten nuances that leaves safety and respect in the darker end of a grey area. Like construction workers, sex workers are compensated financially for physical labour. Like wait staff who work in hospitality, sex workers are providing services to other everyday people. Unlike construction or hospitality, however, if an assault takes place at their place of work, sex workers are least likely to report it or be given adequate support with the matter when they do.
In fact, it is impossible to know how many people have experienced sexual assault in their private lives, let alone those who, due to criminalisation or stigma, are reluctant to report incidents in the first place β though it is estimated up to Contact Bronte Gossling at bgossling nine.
For Bonnie, the crux of the issue is two-fold, with the attitudes of those both within and outside of the industry influencing and taking advantage of the other, leaving the workers themselves vulnerable and exploited. Street-based sex work and brothels are illegal in Western Australia, though individual escorts are not prohibited by any laws. Bonnie knows, anecdotally, however, of escorts seeking legal support after being assaulted at work, only to be brushed off with a casual, "Oh, well, you're a sex worker, what do you expect?
They expect to be treated with the respect a survivor of sexual assault should be afforded. Although there are stakeholders in the industry that act unethically or exploitatively, not all sex work is unsafe, and it's with this in mind that Bonnie's working to make sex work a safer and more pleasurable experience for all. While in Australia there are associations such as the Scarlet Alliance , or in Western Australia specifically, the Magenta Sex Worker Support Project , which provides counselling services and access to sex worker-friendly police officers in what would otherwise be a "lucky dip" of being taken seriously, Bonnie is looking to change the industry, its stigma and its power dynamics from within.
