The Crushing Irony of the SWERF Academic

I have always had a hunger for dismantling and deconstructing the oppressive structures within our society. I was “that bitch” in your high school Econ class going rounds with your conservative teacher, the student who showed up to every school board meeting fighting for tampons in the boys bathroom, the person whose research topics made every conservative white kid blow up in rage. I was the angry, opinionated student every teacher prayed they’d never get. 

Higher education was my beacon of hope–as it is for most activists growing up in conservative spaces–it was this fantasy place where knowledge is prized and critical thinking is supposedly nurtured. I will not deny that it hasn’t been a great opportunity for me; Academia has helped me develop as a writer, as a thinker, and most of all, as a person. But I have noticed that in this supposed space of liberation, inclusivity, and justice, there is a deep and persistent silence surrounding sex work. From outright erasure to the normalization of whorephobia under the guise of “empowerment”, these courses often just function as agents of exclusion: upholding the respectability politics they so pride themselves on critiquing. 

I have noticed that in this supposed space of liberation, inclusivity, and justice, there is a deep and persistent silence surrounding sex work.

One of my first experiences with this was in, ironically enough, an American radicalism class. We were assigned a basic research assignment: write ten pages on a radical movement in history that you’re passionate about. I chose to write my paper on the sex workers rights movement, and, in my naivety, assumed my professor would be so totally chill and normal about this. I was, apparently, quite mistaken to make this assumption. What I thought was going to be an opportunity to flex my extensive knowledge on a movement I cared about turned into the world’s most petty back and forth argument I have ever had with a supposedly “woke” middle aged woman who, “just didn’t see the value in writing about such a ‘provocative’ topic that had no actual impact on American society”. I sent this woman about ten different links, including highlighting sections of text proving her wrong, before dropping the class so I didn’t get kicked out for throat chopping a professor in my first term. 

But this wasn’t a one off occurrence; even in disciplines that examine gender, sexuality, labor, and power–courses like sociology, women’s studies, cultural studies etc–sex work is often omitted, misrepresented, or only discussed through limited frameworks. When sex work is mentioned, it is mostly within the context of trafficking or in terms of victimhood and exploitation. 

Ironically enough, (at least in my experience) this is most persistent in the classes and courses that so heavily advertise themselves as feminist and progressive. These spaces use language of "empowerment" selectively, embracing certain forms of sexual expression while condemning others. A student exploring kink in a literature course might be praised for her bravery, while a peer who engages in professional BDSM work is dismissed as damaged or desperate. There is a pole-dancing class offered in my campus gym, and it is celebrated as body-positive fitness, but a student who does the same thing as a stripper is met with side eyed glances and disgust. 

These spaces use language of "empowerment" selectively, embracing certain forms of sexual expression while condemning others.

Such narrow portrayals erase the diversity of experiences within sex work; from survival-based labor to chosen professions, to street-based work and online content creation. We are missing a huge piece of the puzzle, and as a result, students are rarely exposed to nuanced, critical discussions that treat sex work as legitimate labor or examine the systemic forces that shape it. This is not merely an oversight; it is a purposeful act of erasure. By excluding sex work from serious academic engagement, institutions send a clear message: that this form of labor is not worthy of study, that the people who engage in it do not deserve visibility, and that their voices do not matter. That their labor is invisible and that their identities are to be compartmentalized. 

Empowerment, in their eyes, is only valid when it is symbolic, temporary, and easy to digest. Real empowerment, the kind that challenges conventional boundaries, that forces you to look at the aspects of survival and choice, is too messy to be welcomed into the classroom. You are expected and encouraged to be an empowered, confident, feminist icon, but only in ways that are “respectable” and do not threaten the institutional norms.

Until institutions reckon with their own biases, challenge the myth of respectability, and uplift the voices of those most often silenced, they will continue to perpetuate harm under the guise of progress. True empowerment cannot be cute and fuzzy and "respectable", it must begin with the radical act of listening, believing, and creating space for all forms of labor and life.

Are you a sex worker with a story, opinion, news, or tips to share? We'd love to hear from you!

We started the tryst.link sex worker blog to help amplify those who aren't handed the mic and bring attention to the issues ya'll care about the most. Got a tale to tell? 👇☂️✨