Sex Work vs Sex Trafficking: Myths, Realities, & Political Solutions

Join New York congressional candidate Suraj Patel, pornographer Stoya, activist, author, & performer Ceyenne Doroshow, attorney & activist Melissa Sontag Broudo, and sex researcher Dr. Zhana, for a one-night-only panel discussion on how we can support measures to fight sex trafficking that do not have negative effects on consensual sex work. The recent passing of SESTA/FOSTA (Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act & Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act) has had devastating effects on sex workers all around the country while doing nothing to successfully fight sex trafficking. Moderated by Dr. Zhana, this panel will dive into the myths and realities of consensual sex work vs sex trafficking and how to create realistic and effective solutions from both social and political perspectives.

50% of all proceeds go toward Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society (G.L.I.T.S.) and Sharmus Outlaw Advocacy and Rights (SOAR)

If you cannot make it on June 11th, please consider donating by purchasing an Online Live Stream Ticket (you can always watch the live stream later!) or donating directly to G.L.I.T.S. or SOAR

If you are a sex worker and would like to attend this event at a reduced or no cost, please email cory@drzhana.com to reserve a seat

Ticket Types

VIP Studio Seating: Watch the panel in the audience of the Hacienda Studio right in front of the panelists themselves. Join the reception afterwards to engage with Suraj, Stoya, Ceyenne, Melissa, and Dr. Zhana.

Live Stream Villa Seating: Watch the live stream of the panel in the Hacienda Studio’s first floor and backyard fire pit. Join the reception afterwards to engage with Suraj, Stoya, Ceyenne, Melissa, and Dr. Zhana.

Online Live Streaming: Watch the live stream of the panel via Facebook Live from the comfort of your own home.

About the Panelists

Suraj Patel is running to be New York’s 12th District’s representative in Congress. He is an entrepreneur, educator, and activist working to remove barriers to civic engagement. Suraj is a founding team member of The Arena, supporting the next generation of civic leaders, and co-founder of Creative Caucus, reinventing the way political campaigns engage audiences. He is also a veteran of both Obama’s and Hillary’s campaigns, and the previous (actually functioning) White House team.

Stoya has been a pornographer since 2006. She has written for a number of publications–including The New York Times, VICE, the Guardian, Playboy, and others–largely about the intersections of sexuality and capitalism, media, and gender issues. She recently co-founded her second adult media company: ZeroSpaces.com. Her first book of essays, Philosophy, Pussycats, & Porn releases June 25 through Not a Cult.

Ceyenne Doroshow is a powerhouse performer, activist, organizer, community-based researcher, and public figure in the trans and sex worker rights’ movements. As the Founder and Executive Director of G.L.I.T.S. (Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society), she provides holistic care to LGBTQ sex workers while serving on the following boards: SWOP-USA, Caribbean Equality Project, SOAR Institute, and NYTAG. As an international public speaker, she presents at conferences such as The Desiree Alliance, Creating Change, SisterSong, Harm Reduction Coalition, and the International AIDS Conference. She has emceed events for Toronto Pride and MOMA/PS1’s Sex Workers’ Festival of Resistance, lifting her voice as a trans woman of color. She has been featured in Al Jazeera, ART FORUM, Bitch Media, Buzzfeed, Jezebel/The Root, MARIE CLAIRE, MIC, NPR’s The Takeaway, SLATE, The Sex Reporter, and VICE. Ceyenne has performed on television in Showtime’s OZ, for the documentaries Red Umbrella Diaries and Miss Major, and is the author of Cooking in Heels, a Caribbean cookbook written while she was incarcerated on prostitution charges.

Melissa Sontag Broudo is the co-Founder and co-Executive Director of the Sharmus Outlaw Advocacy and Rights (SOAR) Institute. She has been part of the sex workers’ rights and harm reduction movements for over fifteen years and co-founded SOAR to further policy, advocacy and capacity building efforts that support the rights of sex workers and survivors of human trafficking. Through her work at SOAR, Ms. Broudo has been featured extensively in the media regarding sex work and #metoo, the NYC Stripper Strike, FOSTA/SESTA, and criminalization of sex workers. She has also served on the board of the PROS Network (Providers Offering Resources and Services to Sex Workers) and the Desiree Alliance, a national conference for sex workers and allies.

Dr Zhana is an NYC-based sex educator and adjunct professor of human sexuality at New York University. She holds a PhD in developmental psychology from Cornell University and her scholarly research has been published in a number of academic journals. Dr Zhana also works to bring scientifically accurate information about sexuality to the general audience by writing for popular websites such as Forbes, Psychology Today, Playboy, giving media interviews, and hosting her own podcast with Joe Pardavila called, The Science of Sex. In 2015, she gave a TEDx Talk entitled “Is Casual Sex Bad For You?” and also runs the Casual Sex Project, a place for people to share their true hookup stories.