FKA Twigs Launched a GoFundMe for Sex Workers Facing a Loss of Income

From Harper's BAZAAR

• In partnership with SWARM, Lysistrata, and East London Strippers Collective, avant-pop singer and performer FKA Twigs has launched a GoFundMe to raise money for sex workers facing COVID-19-related financial difficulties.

• Twigs also announced that she would be allowing the organizations to take over her social media channels later this week.

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly left many communities vulnerable. As people continue to try to make ends meet amid widespread unemployment, shuttered businesses, and a global recession, FKA Twigs wants to shed light on those who often get left out of financial aid and conversations about labor: sex workers.

In partnership with sex worker-led organizations SWARM, Lysistrata, and East London Strippers Collective, the avant-pop singer announced today that she has launched a GoFundMe for struggling sex workers facing a loss of income amid the pandemic. She kicked off funds with her own donation of £10,000 (which is equal to around $13,000).

"I was 19 when I learnt my first pole move, I learnt a back hook spin from a stripper when I was working as a hostess in a gentleman's club," she wrote on Instagram. "For those of you who don't know, hostessing is when one person pays another person for their time, anything from a conversation over dinner to sex work, and the club gets a cut of the fee. my lived experience as a very young woman in these environments has not only informed the strong and formidable woman that I am today, but also a lot of my work as a music and visual artist - sometimes even subconsciously."

Twigs added that this initiative also aims to destigmatize sex work in the public eye and to fight for sex worker protections and rights. She wrote, "I feel like now is the time for me to step forward, pay respect, and shine a light on the challenges facing sex workers, especially during these uncertain times. sex workers I know and have met have discipline, craft, talent and work ethic - not only do they deserve better long-term, but their income has been wiped out by the lockdown and many are invisible to the financial aid available to others."

Later this week, SWARM, Lysistrata, and the East London Strippers Collective will be taking over Twigs's social media channels to share information about their work.

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