126 Sex workers in Scotland have written an open letter to Members of the Scottish Parliament. They speak of their fear for their lives and wellbeing should Regan’s dangerous Bill become law.
A copy of the full letter is given below, along with a list of signatories. We have had to change their names to avoid harassment and abuse, but every single name is a sex worker who is terrified of what will happen to them if the Nordic Model is introduced in Scotland. We hope MSPs will hear their pleas, and we thank them for their courage in speaking out.
Dear Members,
We write to you as sex workers concerned about the proposed law Ash Regan has put forward, we in our community know this as The Nordic Model, and for us this means our working conditions worsening, and the rate of violence we experience rising. We ask that you vote against the bill.
The names we have used for our signatures are not our own, as we are too frightened to speak out and risk police violence, visits from social work, harassment from the public and our families finding out what we do for money. But each name represents a sex worker who is terrified at the thought of the Nordic Model coming to Scotland.
For us, the Nordic Model means we will struggle to get screening information such as a name, age, phone number and ID. We have heard Ash Regan speak in evidence sessions claiming that screening is a myth, but this is not the case. For us screening is vital and we have several different ways of doing this. Yes some of us are able to screen more than others due to financial and societal circumstances but all of us screen our clients in some way nonetheless. If we are unable to screen our clients, we will be unable to tell who is violent or not.
We are also aware that if we report assaults to the police, we fear our work premises being watched and our clients being arrested who are non violent. Our clients are our resource, without them we cannot feed ourselves or our families, if our clients are arrested we will be forced to take riskier bookings due to low income.
Another fear many of us have is that the services that we need to survive will be banned or lose funding, a large percentage of us want to stay in sex work, which doesn’t align with the goal of the bill. We are worried about losing our advertising sites, which is vital for keeping many of us doing indoor sex work, and not on the street.
We urge ALL MSPs to vote against this bill and take urgent action to make the lives of sex workers in Scotland safer, as the current laws also put us in danger. We want to be able to work together without fear of arrest, so that we can keep each other safe. We don’t want to be arrested for working on the street, when we’re just trying to make a living and keep a roof over our heads. We know that full decriminalisation would help us gain better working conditions, better access to support services, and would improve our relationship with the police. Please listen to us – we’re the people who are most affected by the laws on sex work.
SIGNATURES:
Chloe-Jayne
Lilith Morning
Kayla M
Thea L
Penny
M.A.B
Eden Hall
Amelia L
Alex Sigh
Sarah Begging
Alex K
Louise Sin
Ari Bell
Grace Stonefield
Aiobhe Flanagan
Orchid
Georgia Williams
Flossy Marshall
Gigi Moore
Ash Berry
Cleo Hamilton
Celine Piers 20
Hannah Smith
Maia Joy
Brie Smith
Ainee Bolin
Matt Skully
Jack Saul
Molly Mavis
Sienna Clarke
Porcelain Victoria
Sarah Johnson
Violet Smith
Sabrina Syn
Angela Henz
Louise Berry
Ruby
Roxanne
Selena Lewis
Dinana Harlow
Bella Valentine
Maria Green
Alana Belle
Eve Temple
Valerie Quinn
Brandi L
Fern Milton
Jasmine Bond
Amy Davis
Max Leigh
Ashley C
Charlotte Halliday
Ana Gonzalez
Alice Smith
Jess Jones
Eliza Atkins
Emilia Wild
Temperance
Sarah White
Mary Mooney
Senna Silver
Madoline Addilyn Rounds
Vivienna Lane
Maria Tuomola
Rosie Wilkins
Ella James
Anne Power
Katarzyna Cray
Chloe Fox
Anastasia S
Elise Carter
Terry Mulgrew
Lewis Li
Ciara Higgins
Honey Auclair
Kyla Darl
Cherry Martinez
Hollie W
Miss Sucuba
Gigi johnson
Maria Harlow
Sirena Grey
Holly
Olivia M
Cam Caldwell
Layla Bond
Bellatrixxx
Lucid
Violet
Emilia Salminen
Cole Stirling
Grace Francis
Theo B
Zara M 90
Ashley Stobie
Sugar H
Sarah Feeler
Carly Brown
Angie Watson
Maria Von Cali
Laila Ayad
Victoria Vo
Aleshia Booth
Stephanie Jones
Esme Sternum
Sophia Hughes
Freya Night
Sade
Luna La
Andrea Newton
Hayley Roberts
Abby Bean
Jodie H
Jennifer Hoggs
Liliana Sousa
Bambi
Vali Blue
Amelie Stone
Evelyn Murphy
Katie Newton
Brooke J
Vilde Hansen
Ana Lee
Roos de Nacht
Carina V
Zoe Smith