Category: Events

Justice for All Sex Workers CSW70

March 11th, 2026 · · Events Comments Off on Justice for All Sex Workers CSW70

By Erika Smith – Supported by the Sex Worker Rights Working group – Justice for All Sex Workers – March 11 in person at 2.30 pm on the 11th Floor of the UN Church Center (opposite the UN, free to enter, no pass is needed).


Erika Smith moderates the BPPP and friends in person session during the Commission on the Status of Women. Speakers include Gigi Thomas, appearing for the first time at the CSW, Beyonce Karungi and Monica Jones.


Live streamed @blasianbytch on TikTok with BlueSky live tweeting. https://www.tiktok.com/@blasianbytchhttps://blueskydirectory.com/profiles/njrua.bsky.social


Sign up here – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/justice-for-all-sex-workers-eliminating-discriminatory-laws-and-policies-tickets-1982411265460?aff=oddtdtcreator


We have 100 copies of our magazine Being Heard to distribute.

What to do in the evening? We will be heading to Liberation Looks Like a Dance Floor at 6 pm. We are not running this show but we think it will be fun. Follow the pink boots to find us, see below for the boots in an actual photo of an actual working group member at the CSW.

Liberation Looks Like a Dance Floor

Without joy and community, the long fight for liberation becomes impossible to sustain. That is why we are hosting a celebration at Henrietta Hudson, the longest-running lesbian bar in the United States, and a vital, historic space that continues to serve as a home for queer women and the broader LGBTQ+ community.

Coming together at Henrietta is both an act of celebration and affirmation: honoring queer legacy, creating space for connection across movements and generations, and reminding ourselves that our communities deserve joy, safety, and collective restoration.

Event details:

Date: March 12, 2026

Time: 6 PM – 10PM

Location: Henrietta Hudson, 438 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

Please RSVP and confirm your attendance here. 

Like what you are seeing here – get your friends to sign up for the Sex Worker Rights Working Group, liberating the Commission on the Status of Women, one person at a time.

CSW70 – Join Our Working Group

January 27th, 2026 · · Events Comments Off on CSW70 – Join Our Working Group - Tags: ,

As we prepare for the 2026 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) we invite advocates and organizations committed to the rights of sex workers to join our working group. The group is managed by the Sex Worker Coalition and draws on the access provided by one of our members’ ECOSOC status to apply for events and submit statements. Join us.
Sign up here:  https://forms.gle/L2D2EzuT36cuuvYW8
The direct email for the working group is swrworkinggroup@gmail.com

Please take a moment to read over our statement sent in advance of the CSW70 to UN Women. This will explain more about sex workers’ long term engagement with UN Women and why you should join us in the work we are doing.

Sex workers and trans folks have advised the Commission on the Status of Women of key issues communities are confronting in the United States and globally. In March 2026, the Commission will discuss “[e]nsuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers.” The Commission will also review five year progress towards, “[w]omen’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-fifth session).”

We submitted a 1500 word statement via BPPP, stating that, “justice cannot exist in spaces where fear, stigma, and criminalization persist. To achieve equality, we must build systems that see, hear, and protect every woman and girl including those society has pushed to the margins.” Read the full report here or download the report as a pdf.

BPPP signed on to a collective statement by the LGBTI Caucus. The caucus stated that, “[e]nsuring access to justice, participation, and protection from violence requires deliberate attention to the lived experiences of LBTI+ persons, reflected in national laws, global policies, and multilateral mechanisms.” Download the LGBTI Caucus report as a pdf.

#CSW69 here and queer in 2025

March 5th, 2025 · · Events Comments Off on #CSW69 here and queer in 2025 - Tags:

Would you like to spend time with the Sex Worker Rights Working Group during the 2025 Commission on the Status of Women? This year at the Commission our work will be educational and link folks to celebrate the night life that NYC is famous for. Sterling Starlets Burlesque will host a show to celebrate every element of community on March 16. The show is free for swers and trans/gender-expansive folks but please don’t miss out if money is a concern. We can provide some free tickets and CSW attendees get a discount. We are hosting parallel sessions too, online and in person!

IN PERSON Panel discussion on Friday March 14 at 12.30 – 2 pm US ET – Present – Trans and Sex Worker Rights Organizing for Beijing+30 and CSW69, Drew Room/8th floor of the Church Center of the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York. Organized by the Sex Worker Rights Working Group. Free and open to everyone (no UN Pass needed).

SHOW – Sterling Starlets Burlesque – the Commission Edition, Sunday March 16 doors open at 7 pm with show at 8 pm (food and drinks available for purchase). Join the Sterling Starlets for a global celebration (and queering) of the 2025 Commission of the Status of Women aka CSW69. A spectacular night affirming our queer, trans and femme existences, everyone welcome, wheelchair accessible, FREE for swers and gender expansive folks, tickets $12 otherwise (discount codes available if needed). Crystal Lake Brooklyn, 647 Grand Street (coming from the UN – 4/5/6 downtown from Grand Central to Union Square and then change to the Brooklyn Bound L, exit at Grand Street and walk to venue). Sign up here – https://tinyurl.com/BurlesqueCSW69

ONLINE 12.30 pm US ET on  Wednesday, March 19 for CSW69: Sex Workers Deserve Quality of Life (online). Free! Open to everyone! Join us for an online parallel session, hear from sex worker leadership during the UN Commission on the Status of Women, organized by Jenna Torres with support from the Sex Worker Rights Working Group. Sign up here –https://www.eventbrite.com/e/csw69-sex-workers-deserve-quality-of-life-online-tickets-1261723883099

December 17 – Breaking the silence about violence

December 17th, 2024 · · Events, Training No comments - Tags:

Today 4 pm US ET – we are acknowledging December 17, 2024 with a webinar entitled Silence, Violence, and Sex Workers Rights, a roundtable discussion put together and moderated by New Jersey Red Umbrella Alliance and supported by BPPP. Come and learn about how we are documenting the rights violations experienced by sex workers and trans folks, how to get involved and how this will end the silence.
Register here —> https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Kw0wSHGiSk6n2gYwA_Swsw

We will be speaking about our research into rights violations as we prepare to hold the US accountable at the United Nations in 2025. Interested in joining the research project? There are many options for participation including filling out a survey, having a conversation, filing a report of a violation, being on a mailing list, joining a working group and/or applying to join our artists cohort. Express interest by filling out this form https://form.jotform.com/rightsnotrescue/join-us

More about today’s moderator – Session moderator N’jaila Rhee is the executive director of NJRUA. N’Jaila is a key member of the coalition preparing a UN report on human violations experienced by sex workers in the US and the policies affecting sex workers worldwide wide. N’Jaila led an enthusiastic team to EXXXOTICA this year providing direct support, harm reduction and information, including two workshops on human rights and arts.

N’Jaila Rhee, ED of NJRUA
Beyonce Karungi

Featuring panelist Beyonce Karungi – Beyonce began her activism with key populations in 2009 and is also involved in efforts to stop violence towards women and girls, to promote sex and sexuality education for youth, and to increase young people’s access to friendly SRHR services across Uganda. At the global level, Beyonce worked with the International Reference Group on Trans Women and HIV, UNDP, UNFPA, UNAIDS, PEPFAR, the Global Fund, and USAID to develop the TRANSIT. Beyonce is currently leading the drafting process of the upcoming UN shadow report on the state of sex worker rights and trans rights in the US and the impact of US policies worldwide.

Jenna Rollins will do a reading and be part of the moderated discussion today on how we are documenting rights violations and ending the silence about violence against sex workers. Sign up here – https://givebutter.com/ivjGxl

Jenna Torres