ALT Public drug warning from NSW about opioid overdose after using drugs thought to be cocaine, dated 9 September 2025.
ALT TODAY IS TRANS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
ALT Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed annually on November 20 to honour the memory of the trans lives lost to acts of transphobia and discrimination. It was started in 1999 by advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honour the memory of Rita Hester, a trans woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the trans people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become a day of community solidarity. Today, we remember those we’ve lost, celebrate our strength in the face of adversity, and commit to fighting transphobia to create a better, safer, and more inclusive world.
ALT “Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.” - Gwendolyn Ann Smith Trans Day of Remembrance founder
ALT Today, we also acknowledge the systemic discrimination and oppression of trans sex workers. As we remember the lives lost to transphobia and discrimination, we also stand strong in our commitment to resist SWERFs (sex work exclusionary radical feminists) and TERFs (trans exclusionary radical feminists) who seek to erase trans people and sex workers. Trans sex workers - especially BIPOC trans workers - have always been at the forefront of the sex worker rights movement. The following slides contain quotes from trans sex workers from 2023.
ALT NATIONAL FORUM 2024 REGISTRATIONS CLOSE TOMORROW AT 10AM. This is your lanst chance to register! Visit the link in our bio.
ALT REGISTER NOW: The Scarlet Alliance National Forum 2024 will be held in Nundah, North Meanjin (Brisbane) from Wednesday 6th to Friday 8th November. You can register for National Forum and read the agenda at the link in our bio. Registrations close (tomorrow) TThursday 24 October at 10am Sydney time. We are unable to accept late registrations as we need to confirm final numbers with the venue and caterer. Please visit the link in our bio for more info on COVID-19, accessibility and venue layout.
ALT ONLINE ACCCESS: This year, we will be live-streaming the main stage of the conference. People who are not able to attend the conference will still be able to view sessions including panels, presentations and member reports. Staff will be on hand to ask questions on your behalf during sessions via the chat function. When you register, please select if you wish to attend online or in-person.
ALT MORE INFO: We want the National Forum to offer a sex worker-only space that is welcoming, engaging and supportive; a space where we care for one another and promote lively, productive debate. We want you to feel that you can be yourself, and that differing opinions are valued and can strengthen our community. We are asking everyone to be proactive in creating a safer, sex work positive space where everyone is able to participate. We require that attendees not share the location of National Forum events with non-sex workers.
ALT NSW UPDATE: THE EQUALITY BILL - If the Bill passes today, threatening to ‘out’ a sex worker will become an intimidation offence in NSW.
ALT Alex Greenwich’s Equality Bill - which aims to strengthen legal protections for marginalised people including LQGBTQIA+ individuals and sex workers - was passed by the NSW Legislative Assembly yesterday (16 October 2024). The Equality Bill is being debated in the NSW Legislative Council today (17 October 2024). If it passes: Threatening to ‘out’ a sex worker will become an intimidation offence in NSW. It will no longer be a crime for adults to receive financial support from a sex worker.
ALT Trans and gender diverse people will be able to change their birth certificate without undergoing surgery. Crimes motivated by hatred of trans and intersex people will be treated the same as other hate crimes. New coercive control offences for threats to ‘out’ someone will also cover HIV status and sexuality. Language that stigmatises people living with HIV and AIDS will be removed. A temporary pathway for parental rights for children born in commercial surrogacy arrangements will be introduced.
ALT MPOX VACCINATION: Free mpox vaccinations are currently available for priority groups, including sex workers and their sexual partners.
ALT MPOX UDPATE: As of 10 September 2024, there have been 480 notified cases of mpox in unceded Australia, with the majority of these cases - 237 - acquired in NSW.1 As of 20 September 2024, there have also been 51 confirmed cases of mpox notified in Queensland. All of these cases were ‘likely’ acquired in Australia, and the majority of cases were unvaccinated.2 Vaccination is recommended for priority groups, including sex workers and their sexual partners. For sex work specific information on mpox, please call SWOP Connect on 02 9184 9466.
ALT VACCINATION: People 18+ are vaccinated in two doses, at least 28 days apart. For most people, the first dose will give considerable protection after two weeks, but studies show that two doses are required for the best possible protection. The second dose does not need to be administered immediately after 28 days. Waiting longer than 28 days to receive the second dose does not compromise the level of protection from the first dose. Two vaccines are available in unceded Australia JYNNEOS® and ACAM2000™. Most people will receive the JYNNEOS® vaccine.
ALT Side effects are common, but usually mild and go away quickly. Most people have redness, swelling or pain at injection site. Tiredness, headache and muscle pain can also occur after vaccination. If you are worried about any potential side effects of vaccines, talk to your immunisation provider. Previously, many people received the mpox vaccine via a shallow injection into or just under the skin in the forearm, which uses less vaccine but can leave a temporary mark. All mpox vaccinations are now delivered subcutaneously (between the skin and muscle) or via an injection in the upper arm (similar to a COVID or flu vaccination).
ALT Join our webinar at 2pm on Thursday 15th August - DEBUNKING THE ‘PORN PANIC’: OUR SPEZahara Stardust | Alan McKee | Greta DesgravesAKERS -
ALT The media is full of assumptions about the relationship between pornography and sexual violence, but where is the evidence? How do these conversations impact sex workers and how can we have more constructive conversations around these issues moving forward? Please join our webinar at 2pm on Thursday 15th August 2024, when our panel of experts will distill fact from fiction to debunk the ‘porn panic’. Facilitated by Scarlet Alliance President Jenna Love. Register now at the link in our bio.
ALT GRETA DESGRAVES: Webinar guest speaker
ALT Greta is a sex worker, porn performer and activist based in Naarm (Melbourne). With a background in law and industrial organising, they joined Scarlet Alliance in 2022 and became our Policy Officer in 2023. Their areas of interest and advocacy include debunking moral panics, promoting digital rights and ensuring that internet laws and regulation maintain privacy, safety and community for sex workers in unceded Australia and across the world.
ALT SEX WORK & DISABILITY
ALT Sex and disability intersect in complex ways, often challenging discrimination and preconceptions. People with disability often experience infantilisation and stigma surrounding their capacity and needs, which can diminish autonomy and agency, particularly regarding sexual rights. Sex workers are professionals in sex and intimacy. People with disability seek out various professionals for their expertise in other areas of their life that require support. However, sex workers are often overlooked in our professionalism and face stigma in the value of the services we offer.
ALT Sex workers bring valuable skills in practical sexual education, such as consent and safer sex practices, which can importantly fill a gap for people with intellectual disability who have been denied the right to receive sexual education. Denying this right goes against the United Nations Covenant on the Rights of People with Disability, of which Australia is a signatory. Take condoms, for example. While a medical clinician can demonstrate using a condom on a model, it doesn’t compare to the hands-on support a sex worker can provide, especially for individuals with complex receptive communication and learning needs.
