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Body Autonomy: Decolonizing Sex Work & Drug Use

By Justice Rivera

In an era when the privileged can publicly embrace the benefits of psychedelics and sex positivity, marginalized communities continue to bear the brunt of interpersonal and systemic violence in everything from health inequities to overdose deaths. In the 17 essays in Body Autonomy: Decolonizing Sex Work and Drug Use, leading advocates, sex workers, and scholars who have been harmed by American neocolonial policies critique the ideological wars on body autonomy and map the tactics from the War on Drugs onto legislation that criminalizes and disenfranchises sex work. This bold and timely collection uplifts the right to freedom in one’s own body, drawing connections between erotic labor, the use of psychoactive substances, and the impact of violent policing and incarceration.

By illuminating the sacred and liberating aspects of erotic labor and foregrounding decolonial perspectives on substance, Body Autonomy emphasizes healing-centered harm reduction practices to shine a path beyond punishment and inequity. If we gaze together through the lens of a pleasure-oriented future, we can learn to prioritize compassion over criminalization, collectively expanding our understanding of survival, healing, and embodied liberation.

$23.95

Justice Rivera

Author

Justice Rivera (she/they; ella/elle) is a writer, social justice consultant, harm reductionist, and pleasure activist based between San Juan, PR, and Seattle, WA. Justice’s professional and artistic work is grounded in principles of harm reduction, anti-oppression, and healing justice. Her expressions, which come in many forms, seek to deconstruct carceral and punishment-driven paradigms to race, gender, and bodily autonomy. Justice has worked to pro- vide direct services, organizing leadership, and capacity-building support to people in the sex trade, survivors of trafficking, and people who use drugs in Denver, Washington DC, Seattle, and nationally. She is now a Partner with the QPOC-led harm reduction consulting company, Reframe Health and Justice. This anthology was compiled in part through her 2019 Open Society Foundation Soros Justice Media Fellowship. When she isn’t working, Justice loves to travel, cook, volunteer, and play with her cat, friends, and family. Follow Justice on twitter @justice_writes and IG @justicerivera_writes. Follow Reframe Health and Justice on Instagram @harmreductionfemmes.

Description

Body Autonomy: Decolonizing Sex Work & Drug Use

This groundbreaking collection celebrates the intertwining needs for touch and the exploration of our consciousness, helping us understand how these experiences have been suppressed and inviting us all into self-sovereignty by imagining otherwise. 

In an era when the privileged can publicly embrace the benefits of sex positivity and psychedelics, marginalized communities continue to bear the brunt of interpersonal and systemic violence in everything from criminalization to health inequities. In the 17 essays in Body Autonomy: Decolonizing Sex Work and Drug Use, leading advocates, sex workers, and scholars who have been harmed by American neocolonial policies unpack the ideological wars on body autonomy and map tactics from the War on Drugs onto legislation that criminalizes and disenfranchises sex work. This bold and timely collection uplifts the right to freedom in one’s own body, drawing connections between erotic labor, the use of psychoactive substances, and the impact of violent policing and incarceration. 

By illuminating the material and sacred aspects of erotic labor and foregrounding decolonial perspectives on substances, Body Autonomy emphasizes healing-centered harm reduction practices to shine a path beyond punishment and inequity. If we gaze together through the lens of a pleasure-oriented future, we can learn to prioritize compassion over criminalization, collectively expanding our understanding of survival, healing, and embodied liberation.

This collection features trusted voices on health and social policy reform including Kate D’Adamo, Justice Rivera, Ismail Ali, Paula Kahn, and Zara Raven, as well as respected healers like Richael Faithful, Amira Barakat Al-Baladi, and Mona Knotte.

Additional information

Weight 1 lbs
Dimensions 1 × 6 × 9 in
Format

Paperback, eBook

Pages 352

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