Standing on stage in a cream-coloured dress, Marisa Swinton looks out at an audience scattered at tables across a hotel ballroom.
“Who is controlling our message?” she asks.
“Politicians? The media?”
“Nothing about us, without us,” she tells the the crowd gathered for� her presentation on securing public interest in eliminating the stigma around sex work.
About 190 people have convened at an Edmonton hotel this week for the National Sex Workers Assembly. Dozens more have joined virtually for four days of panels, workshops and keynote speakers.
The schedule includes sessions on a range of topics such as costuming, challenging stigma, and coming out to family members.
