From rants to love letters: sex worker zines tell many truths

BRU Zine shared information directly related to outdoor hustles, like tips for safer sex and drug use, what to do when stopped by the cops, and where to find non-judgmental medical clinics. Many of us had only ever told our stories under crisis-related circumstances, speaking to audiences of medical professionals, social workers, police officers, and lawyers. The publication launched in 2013 after a group of New York City-based sex workers gathered together weekly for peer-driven memoir writing workshops. Co-editor Vanessa Carlisle runs Hookers Army Los Angeles, a peer support and self-defense collective, and co-hosts and produces On the Dresser, a podcast about sex and politics run by queer sex workers.