Videos: The Naked Truth Adult Entertainment Awards
Last night, I dropped by the Penthouse Night Club on Seymour Street for an annual awards celebration for those in the sex trade.
The Naked Truth Adult Entertainment Awards don't just honour dancers, escorts, and filmmakers. They also give kudos to those who advocate for sex workers' rights.
Members of Nakedtruth.ca vote on the awards, which are a way to celebrate positive aspects of the adult-entertainment sector. They also let patrons know who is worth supporting.
Annie Temple was project coordinator for TradeSecrets.blogspot.com, which won for favourite online resource. She explained how people can enter the sex trade.
Annie Temple thanks sex workers for supporting TradeSecrets.blogspot.com.
For the second consecutive year, Charlie won for favourite floor show. She told the crowd that she loves her job and takes it very seriously.
Charlie says the only thing that will stop her is gravity.
One of the more entertaining award recipients was Melody Mangler, who was voted as the city's favourite burlesque performer.
Melody Mangler generates some laughs after winning in the burlesque category.
The award for favourite sex-worker advocate went to Sherry Kiselbach and Sue Davis.
Kiselbach is challenging the constitutionality of Canada's prostitution laws.
Sherry Kiselbach tells a surprising tale about her "pimp".
Davis, who also won for best media spokesperson, has been one of Vancouver's most forceful and articulate supporters of the industry.
Sue Davis has some fun with emcee Samantha Mack.
The favourite academic advocate, Tamara O'Doherty, told a touching tale about her first encounter with PACE—and about how she has come to really appreciate sex workers.
Tamara O'Doherty recalls being interviewed by PACE members.
O'Doherty described people in the sex-workers' community as the "strongest social justice advocates and feminists that she has met anywhere".
"I'm so thrilled to be part of this group, and thank you so much for welcoming me," she added.
Long-time abortion-rights activist Joyce Arthur was named favourite feminist. She cofounded a feminist group called FIRST that advocates for sex workers' rights.
"I see a lot of similarities between the issues," Arthur said. "Like choice, my body is my own, and autonomy and all those good things, and just a woman being able to have sex when she wants with who she wants and how often she wants."
Joyce Arthur says she has learned a lot from sex workers.
Sex educator and Art of Loving co-owner Vera Zyla was there to win an award for SexLifeCanada.ca, which is an online sex-journalism site.
Vera Zyla talks about online sex journalism.
Other winners included Mz. Dylan as the favourite domme/dom service provider; Byrd Pub in Surrey as the performers' favourite strip club; Jessica Rabbit as the favourite female striptease artist; Stella Wolf's Tim Hortons Doughnut Show as favourite theme show; Annastasia as favourite pole-work performer; and Shannon Tate as favourite retired striptease artist.
The favourite funny stripper was Topaz, who told the crowd that this was the first award she has ever won. The favourite webcam trans performer was Velvet Steele.
For a complete list of winners, go here.
Comments
12 Comments
susan davis
Jun 11, 2011 at 7:09am
what an amazing time!!! thanks for coming charlie and glen!!!
R U Kiddingme
Jun 11, 2011 at 2:53pm
Awesome write up Charlie
kaur
Jun 11, 2011 at 5:53pm
Imagine that! Women in this trade who love their work!
Thanks Charlie for giving this group and the feminists who support them exposure. Their voices are too often silenced by bullying interests groups who want a different perception to dominate with falsified and misleading info.
ronda
Jun 12, 2011 at 7:26am
This is so interesting. I would love to know more. I hope that the Georgia Straight will give us more information about these people and their views.
status quo distruption
Jun 12, 2011 at 8:26am
Progressive Feminist: Sex workers have freedom of choice, their body is their own, and a woman should be able to have sex when she wants with whom she wants and how often she wants. This is autonomy and this is what Feminism should stand for.
Radical Feminist: No. We must play the moral outrage card to our advantage to gain sympathy and show women in the sex trade as oppressed and exploited. We must show images of the DTES street worker as the poster girl of the sex trade. We must manipulate research studies and send it to the media. We must indoctrinate because that is what we do now-adays.
Progressive Feminists: But the DTES street worker is but a minuscule part of this industry. The vast majority of these people work indoors and advertise on the net and other media outlets. They are not forced into the trade. We need to speak to them and hear their stories to know their reality. We need to protect them but first we need to separate fact from fiction.
Radical Feminist: No. We must play the moral outrage card to maintain our ideological domination and nothing should undermine our power and privilege. So be quiet because we out number you.
gutzy gal
Jun 12, 2011 at 10:54am
tamara, i loved your story.
sex trade
Jun 12, 2011 at 2:01pm
So what is the Naked Truth about the sex trade? Enquiring minds want to know.
not acceptable
Jun 12, 2011 at 2:27pm
Women are put at risk and harmed if they are being used by Radical Feminists for a political agenda. That's not acceptable.
Thank goodness for the Georgia Straight for giving us this great multi-media piece so I can see things for myself. This is a complicated issue that warrants more indepth journalistic coverage.
Susan
Jun 12, 2011 at 8:53pm
It takes courage to go against the grain for what you believe in. These activists should also get a medal for bravery and resilience.
Frankette
Jun 13, 2011 at 8:17am
These Progressive Feminists have embraced the concept of healing and human bonding. Instead of focusing on inflaming, inciting and demonizing men, they are open-minded and willing to see ”˜Johns’ as human beings who are part of the equation in the sex trade and work with them to help and protect women.
I believe that this is truly Progressive and I hope that this idea of working together instead of working against men will spark a new flame within the Feminist movement. The time for this belief in a shared humanity is long overdue and can only lead to a better world.