Last week it was time for Europride and Kulturkalaset in Gothenburg. Of course RealStars participated to spread the message that Fair Sex is for all people in all situations. We had a creativity-tent in Europride park and a public lecture with focus on how RealStars work against sex-trafficking and on the situation for HBTQ-people within prostitution.
The lecture was a success and we received mostly support for our work and views, which is encouraging! We based one part of the lecture on a report called “We don’t want to be silenced anymore” which is based on interviews with HBTQ-people with experiences from sex against payment. The report specifically points to experiences from a group that rarely is heard from and how insufficient knowledge can be devastating when a person seeks help.
“The doctor concluded that I thought that it was hard being homosexual. Sure, it can sometimes be hard in the community we live in, but it is not about that. I was talking about prostitution and assault, but he didn’t seem to understand what that meant.”
The quote above shows how people who clearly outline that they have been subjects to sexual assault and prostitution are not being heard because of their sexual orientation. Analyses show that the trust for medical care, social services and the police are very low within this group which isn’t a surprise when many have experiences of faulty personal treatment. Knowledge about both HBTQ-matters and on prostitution among trade workers is incredibly important for people to get the care and help they need.
RealStars find that more knowledge about the mechanisms behind prostitution is needed and is therefore working on that the focus is put on the perpetrator – the buyer of commercial sex acts – and not the victim. Therefore it is important for us to be found at for example Pride and We Sthlm and other platforms, because change doesn’t happen by itself, we must make the change.
One way to contribute to the focus on these questions is through creativity. In our creativity-tent one could create their own t-shirt on the Fair Sex-theme. Many visitors came and created for Fair Sex and it was fun talking to them about our work and that so many wants to participate and support us. Many of the participants were youths who all showed a great interest when we asked – do you want us to come to your school and make something creative for Fair Sex? Book a visit to your school at bokaskola@realstars.eu.
