I’ll start out by saying that is one of the most “woke” books I’ve ever read, integrating gender, race, class, sexual orientation, immigration status, and functional diversity to mention a few, in their analysis and conclusions. I’d been wanting to read about the theory and practice of sex work for a long time. It was one of those subjects that, as a feminist, I was still on the fence about; mostly because of how much stigma and misunderstanding there is around the topic. I want to follow by thanking Kali for recommending this book and for being such an inspiration and openly speaking about sex work from her own experience. Thank you to Open Belli for also recommending the book and for their super insightful podcasts on sex work.Revolting Prostitutes, written by Juno Mac and Molly Smith, examines sex work and sex workers (people who sell or trade their own sexual labor in exchange for a resource) in a wide range of perspectives, including legal, social, economic, political, and institutional. The book is written by two sex workers, though they integrate the voices of many sex workers from all over the world and backgrounds, making the book that much more rich in insight. It also visibilizes the realities of sex work THROUGH THE OUTLOOK OF SEX WORKERS THEMSELVES (!); perspectives that are often times not included when speaking on the subject.The writers start by analyzing sex, asking and answering the following questions: “Is sex bad?” and “Is sex good?”. The chapter mentions the “morality” issues that are still present nowadays when speaking about sex, the weight society puts on women disproportionate to men in staying “pure”, the history of sex work, and the trends in sex positivity within several movements, among others.The second chapter evaluates work and asks the same questions as with sex, mentioning ways in which anti-prostitution movements discredit sex work because “it is exploitative”, while also promoting unpaid internships and other forms of work in which the worker may not have enough power, for example. It also speaks to the emotional labor that sex workers do that goes unrenumerated. The authors argue that work, in and of itself, is exploitative because the capitalist system we live in allows for others to profit (greatly) out of your labor. It is the economic necessity that makes everyone work, and it’s the main reason that mostly women get involved in prostitution, according to researchers.Therefore, when work is criminalized, workers lose rights and with it, the ability to work safely. Criminalization won’t stop an activity from happening (see marihuana, abortion, alcohol, etc.), it will just put the most marginalized workers in an even more vulnerable position. Within sex work, these individuals are mostly trans, Black, and/or migrant women.The third chapter brings up this last factor: borders. The role of borders is to keep undocumented individuals away; often times, they are backed by racist reasons akin to anti-trafficking policies. When borders are enhanced, the police are given more resources and power, which under a criminalized system, serve to further oppress those who stand to lose the most. The authors argue that in countries where border controls are strong, “sex trafficking” can be used as a scapegoat to get rid of migrants (also, see the rescue industry). They add that if people could have the liberty of moving and working freely, there would be no need for “people smuggling”, which, depending on the legal framework, could become trafficking. Contrary to what policy-makers might think, border controls end up creating “new migrant-smuggler relationships where smugglers might take advantage of a border closure or restriction to increase prices” (p 65). Once more, migrant women may be forced into exploitative tasks where they have no legal rights or safety.After covering these important bases, the remaining chapters are each dedicated to provide an in-depth examination of the different models concerning sex work around the world. Partial Criminalisation is a legal model where some aspects fo the sex industry are criminalized (often times, these are the most visibles forms such as street-based sex work). In England, Scotland, and Wales, the acts of buying and selling sex are legal, but almost everything else is criminalized (soliciting, kerb-crawling, working indoors within friends, or facilitating sex work).Full criminalization is a legal model where the sex worker, the client, and third parties (managers, drivers, landlords) are all criminalized. The Swedish Model (also known as the Nordic Model) is a legal regime that criminalizes the purchase of sex and punishes third parties while decriminalizing those who sell sex. Regulationism heavily regulates a legal strand of the sex industry while continuing to criminalize workers who can’t or won’t comply with various bureaucratic requirements. Full decriminalization decriminalizes the sex work, the client, and third parties and regulates the sex industry through labor law.While the authors state that there is currently no perfect model, they advocate for FULL DECRIMINALIZATION given that it’s the only model that allows sex workers to be protected under labor law and where sex workers have rights.Reading this was such an eye-opener. All their arguments were robust and backed by extensive research and stories. If you want to know more about the sex industry, BUY THIS ASAP!!!A huge THANK YOU to Juno Mac, Molly Smith, and all the individuals whose stories were shared for enlightening us so that we can become better allies.If you're a book lover, head over to my page on ig: @libro.filia where I review books!