Sex Work: A legal and social history

Red lights, late nights and neon silhouettes are the stereotypes that have long been synonymous with the sex industry, Kings Cross and Darlinghurst. This fascinating walking tour is an invitation to see the area and profession in a new light.

Led by writer, performer and Kings Cross local Vashti Hughes and the Inner City Legal Centre’s Managing Solicitor Katie Green, you will be immersed in the sights, history and contemporary challenges of sex work in Australia’s most famous redlight district. From the AIDS crisis, criminalisation, decriminalisation and the lockout laws, to the COVID-19 pandemic, see these events afresh from the perspective of the area’s resilient and innovative sex workers.

Part historic walking tour, part open dialogue, taking a ramble across this famous slice of Sydney will add nuance and a human face to your understanding of sex work in Australia. With stops at iconic and lesser-known spots, Vashti and Katie will guide you through the streets and the complex and evolving legal and social history of the area.

Along the way you will meet and hear stories from Julie Bates AO, a formidable sex worker rights activist and principal of Urban Realists Planning & Health Consultant; Chantell Martin, a dedicated community advocate; Charlie Murphy, a passionate sex worker and activist; Joanna Megan, the CEO of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP NSW); and Wendy Machin, Clinical Services Manager at the Kirketon Road Centre. With a few surprise appearances from other local characters and performances along the way.  

It’s time to discover the rich and human history of this often maligned and misunderstood part of our city.
 

Image Credit: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy SEARCH Foundation