Emergency Funds for Sex Workers During COVID-19
Sex workers are an important part of the labor economy and deserve equal support and protections, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Point Source Youth is particularly committed to supporting sex workers because of our commitment to supporting the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ and queer communities, including youth of color and youth who aren’t stably housed -- all of whom participate at a higher rate as sex workers, often for survival.
We are concerned about sex workers who may suffer from the loss of clients as the COVID-19 crisis affects the economy. We’re also concerned about how COVID-19 may affect sex workers who are at an increased risk of contracting the virus, and yet, they don’t qualify for government benefits being offered other types of workers.
EMERGENCY FUNDS/MICROGRANTS:
Sex workers have been among some of the first groups of people to start organizing and providing mutual support or “giving circles,” outside of an official government response to COVID-19. Some institutional funders, like the Third Wave Fund, have been supporting sex worker giving circles (SWGC) for years now. Third Wave’s SWGC, in fact, is the first-ever sex worker-led fund housed at a U.S. Foundation.
We’ve assembled a list of emergency COVID relief funds that are available for sex workers. They’re all domestic and most are geographic-specific, but we tried to highlight ones that are prioritizing microgrants to POC and/or trans women. If you know additional resources, please let us know.
Later this month, Point Source Youth will be doing a sex worker resource video, which will feature a deeper dive into exploring the experiences of sex workers and former sex workers during COVID-19.
Sex workers have been among some of the first groups of people to start organizing and providing mutual support or “giving circles,” outside of an official government response to COVID-19. Some institutional funders, like the Third Wave Fund, have been supporting sex worker giving circles (SWGC) for years now. Third Wave’s SWGC, in fact, is the first-ever sex worker-led fund housed at a U.S. Foundation.
We’ve assembled a list of emergency COVID relief funds that are available for sex workers. They’re all domestic and most are geographic-specific, but we tried to highlight ones that are prioritizing microgrants to POC and/or trans women. If you know additional resources, please let us know.
Later this month, Point Source Youth will be doing a sex worker resource video, which will feature a deeper dive into exploring the experiences of sex workers and former sex workers during COVID-19.
Photo by Engin Akyurt
Emergency COVID Relief for Sex Workers in New York
Trans and Gender Diverse Community Financial Assistance Programs in Kings County (Seattle)
PDX S*x Worker COVID-19 Relief Fund (Portland) SWOP Los Angeles and Southern California
SWEET is a Tucson-based sex worker collective focused on collecting and distributing emergency funds
Red Canary Song for Asian and migrant sex workers in New York
SWOP Behind Bars: nonprofit providing community support for incarcerated sex workers