A Secret History of Sex Workers

Jennifer Worley, associate professor of English, women's studies, and LGBT studies at City College of San Francisco, will present two events at Grinnell College.

Screening and Talk — Sex On Wheels:  A Secret History of Sex Workers

7 p.m. Monday, April 13, Rosenfield Center Room 101

Worley will present her film, Sex On Wheels, with a talk and a question and answer session to follow. This film explores the lives, activism, and accomplishments of San Francisco's sex workers throughout the city's history, uncovering a gang of transgender teen revolutionaries, a feminist assassin, a cross-dressing gigolo, a nude dude ranch, and a madam who became mayor.

Roundtable Reading — Lusty:  Adventures in Stripping and Revolution.

4:15 p.m. Monday, April 13, Mears Cottage Room 115

Worley will read from her book in progress. Lusty is a monograph on San Francisco’s Lusty Lady Theater, whose strippers first unionized then took over the theater as a worker-owned co-operative. The book weaves together the author’s reflections on her years as a dancer, labor organizer, shop steward, and co-op founder at the Lusty Lady, with historical research on the history of the sex industry, the sex-workers’ rights movement and San Francisco’s labor organizing. 

The Stonewall Resource Center, Film Studies, and The Center for the Humanities are sponsoring both events, and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies is providing additional support to for the round-table reading.

Grinnell welcomes and encourages the participation of people with disabilities. Rosenfield Center has accessible parking in the lot to the east and room 101 is equipped with an induction hearing loop system. Mears Room 115 is wheelchair accessible. You can request accommodations from the event sponsor or Conference Operations.