AI (Adult Industry) Herstory and Language

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About Course

Introduction to the Course

Welcome to AI herstory and language, a seven-week course designed to explore the complex history, legislation, and cultural narratives surrounding sex work. This course will critically examine how language influences our attitudes around the industry and Sex Workers. Which in turn shapes policy, which influences societal attitudes, thus shaping the lived experiences of Sex Workers, particularly those from marginalized communities.

This course seeks to amplify Sex Worker voices while critically engaging with the structural inequities that determine whose work is valued and whose is erased. By examining the language used to discuss sex work and Sex Workers, we aim to shift cultural attitudes and challenge the stigma that perpetuates harm and inequality. Through this work, we support the broader advocacy for decriminalization and the creation of a more just and equitable world for industry professionals.

Over the next seven weeks, we will:

  • Analyze the history of sex work legislation, including FOSTA/SESTA and its global implications.

  • Explore legal frameworks such as criminalization, decriminalization, and the Nordic Model.

  • Examine the role of language in perpetuating or dismantling stigma.

  • Highlight the work of lesser-known scholars, independent artists, and writers who have shaped this field.

This course is not just an academic exploration but a call to action. By destigmatizing sex work through language, we can create a more inclusive and equitable world for adult industry professionals.

Course Logistics

 

  • Duration: Seven weeks (Spring Semester).

  • Class Schedule:

    • New Classes Posted: Tuesdays at 3:00 PM CEST (Berlin Time) = 9:00 AM EST.

    • Live Discussions/Office Hours: Tuesdays at 4:00 – 6:00 PM CEST (Berlin Time) = 10:00 AM EST.

  • Platform: TikTok @akynosakynos and @bswc (recorded lectures and live discussions).

  • Additional Resources:

    • For more in-depth course materials, access to papers, publications, and exclusive artwork by the professor, visit Patreon.com/akynos. This platform offers behind-the-scenes content and extended resources to enrich your learning experience.

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What Will You Learn?

  • Mastery of Critical Legislation
  • How FOSTA/SESTA and the Mann Act weaponize language to criminalize marginalized communities (with case studies like Chuck Berry).
  • 2. Legal Framework Literacy
  • Clear distinctions between criminalization, decriminalization, legalization, and the Nordic Model—and their real-world impacts.
  • 3. Language as Power
  • Ability to audit stigmatizing terms (e.g., "prostitute" vs. "Sex Worker") in media, healthcare, and policy.
  • 4. Hidden Histories
  • Knowledge of lesser-known scholars and artists who’ve shaped sex work discourse (beyond mainstream narratives).
  • 5. Digital Rights & Sex Work
  • How online platforms (like Backpage) became battlegrounds for labor rights and free speech.
  • 6. Intersectional Analysis
  • Why race, gender, and class determine whose labor is vilified (e.g., Black performers under the Mann Act).
  • 7. Advocacy in Action
  • Tools to reframe conversations (e.g., "safety" vs. "rescue" rhetoric) in activism and policy spaces.
  • 8. Labor = Liberation
  • Sex work as radical labor organizing, tied to broader movements for bodily autonomy and migrant rights.
  • 9. Art as Resistance
  • How performance, zines, and oral histories disrupt stigma
  • 10. Solidarity Blueprint
  • A personalized "bias audit" and solidarity pledge to apply learning in their communities.
  • 📢 Rhetorical analysis
  • 📜 Policy literacy
  • ✊🏾 Intersectional advocacy

Course Content

📌 Pre-Course (Before Week 1)
Share a 1-page "Course Covenant" via email/TikTok/Patreon with: 3 Core Expectations: "Center Sex Worker voices (especially Black/Brown SWers)." "Engage with discomfort—this isn’t Intro to Sex Work 101." "Confidentiality: What’s shared here stays here." Tech Needs: "TikTok + Google Drive access required." Community Agreement: Link to a 2-min video of you modeling how to call in vs. call out.

Legal frameworks of the industry
In lesson 1 we went over some legal frameworks -Criminalization -Legalization/regulation -Nordic Model -Decriminalization

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