Sex Work | Huck
Huck

Sex Work

Inside Yoshiwara, Japan’s oldest red light district

Asasuka soaplands — Despite numerous fires and harshening sex work laws, the centuries old area continues to persevere in East Tokyo. Manami Okazaki traces its history and meets people who shape its present.

  • Culture
  • Manami Okazaki
Surreal abstract illustration featuring pink and grey organic shapes and forms on a dark background.

Inside the weird world of audio porn

Porn without pictures — Storyline-driven and ethical, imageless erotica exploded during the pandemic. Jess Thomson speaks to the creators behind the microphones.

  • Culture
  • Jess Thomson

Lewd tales of live sex shows in ’80s Times Square

Peep Man — Before its LED-beaming modern refresh, the Manhattan plaza was a hotbed for seedy transgression. A new memoir revisits its red light district heyday.

  • Culture
  • Miss Rosen

The Brussels festival dismantling the stigma around sex work

Belgium became the first European country to decriminalise sex work, thanks in part to SNAP! – a sex worker-run festival fighting for visibility, rights and sexual freedom.

  • Sex Work
  • Alex King

How the cost of living crisis is endangering sex workers

Decrim now — Financial turmoil is pushing people who work in the sex industry into more dangerous and desperate situations as a means of survival, reports Ella Glover.

  • Activism
  • Ella Glover

The sex workers left in turmoil over monkeypox

‘It’s been terrible‘ — With the UK now set to run out of vaccines, people working in the sex industry – particularly outside of major cities – have been left especially vulnerable, reports Brit Dawson.

  • Activism
  • Brit Dawson

Photos from the sex worker strike in London on IWD

‘Whorephobia kills’ — To mark International Women’s Day, hundreds came to together for a joint women’s and sex worker strike in central London.

  • Activism
  • Ben Smoke

The Huck List: 20 for 2021

Hell Of A Year — We’re celebrating the inspiring individuals and activist groups who’ve been building a better future in 2021.

  • Activism
  • Huck

Why universities must support student sex workers

Safety first — Campaigners and student sex workers explain why all students – regardless of the occupation they choose to support themselves – deserve help, guidance, and safety.

  • Activism
  • Katie Tobin

‘Zola‘: an electrifying stripper saga for the internet age

Janicza Bravo in conversation — The filmmaker discusses how she came to direct her much-buzzed movie based on a riotous Twitter thread and why race is at the heart of the story.

  • Film
  • Jack King

Photos of strippers which celebrate female sexuality

Money game — Photographer Elizabeth Waterman discusses her project documenting strip clubs across the US and Mexico, and how she managed to create an authentic portrayal of sex workers.

  • Culture
  • Daisy Schofield

The sex workers fighting Bristol‘s strip club ban

‘It‘s slut shaming‘ — As Bristol prepares to become the biggest city in the country to ban lap-dancing clubs, adult entertainers are calling out the move’s blatant whorephobia and the threats it’ll pose to their safety and livelihoods.

  • Activism
  • Sophie K Rosa

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck+ members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:
Black and white O'Neill logo in a bold, stylised font against a black background.
You've read articles this month Thanks for reading

Join Club Huck — it's free!

Valued Huck reader, thank you for engaging with our journalism and taking an interest in our dispatches from the sharp edge of culture, sport, music and rebellion.

We want to offer you the chance to join Club Huck [it's free!] where you will receive exclusive newsletters, including personal takes on the state of pop culture and media from columnist Emma Garland, culture recommendations, interviews and dispatches straight to your inbox.

You'll also get priority access to Huck events, merch discounts, and more fun surprises.

Already part of the club? Enter your email above and we'll get you logged in.