California to run ads to educate the public on sex workers

Recently, the St. James Infirmary in San Francisco has been searching for a billboard company who would be willing to run their advertisements, which are aimed at eliminating bias against sex workers. After being rejected by some corporations, the ads are finally set to run on 50 California mini-buses. 

The ads will feature images of people with phrases such as "Some of us are sex workers" and "Some of us provide healthcare for sex workers." The goal is to show that people from all backgrounds work in the sex industry. .

"The ad," said St. James executive director Naomi Akers, "is about humanizing us." A former sex worker, Akers is one of 27 people photographed for the campaign. She added, "We’re not just the stereotype of sexual deviant. We’re everyday people."

The companies that rejected the ads claimed that "sex worker" is not a phrase that many local business owners would feel comfortable having displayed on billboards near their stores, since it implies people who work in illegal prostitution.

St. James Infirmary officials say that the campaign is referencing the people who work in the adult film industry, as well as other legal sex-related careers. Avert.org states that the term "sex worker" is the more respectful way to refer to people who work in a variety of jobs that could be considered to have a sexual undertone.