Solidarity Statement from Sex Workers within Somatic Sex Education

The Faculty of the Institute for the Study of Somatic Sex Education would like to share a “Solidarity Statement from Sex Workers within Somatic Sex Education” (link below). The Sex Workers Within Somatic Sex Education (SW within SSE) group is student-organized and we recognize that they do not speak for all sex workers working in Somatic Sex Education.

We acknowledge and are grateful for the work of the students and alumni of our school who are part of the SW within SSE group, who have collectively written this statement on the ongoing violent operations of the Israeli state military against Palestinians. We thank SW within SSE for their advocacy, which has invited us to reflect on our own values, beyond our own actions in our individual communities, and roles as Faculty. We support and are in solidarity with SW within SSE’s statement.

We understand that there has been a strong emotional impact on some members of our community given the use of the phrase “from the river to the sea” in the SW in SSE statement. We understand that this statement has multiple connotations – link here for more information – and want to be clear that we stand against the use of this phrase in any anti-Semitic context. We furthermore are strongly opposed to the use of violence against Jewish individuals in general, as we are opposed to violence directed against Palestinians and all peoples.

As an Institute dedicated to the values of liberation and anti-oppression within and beyond our professions of Somatic Sex Education and Sexological Bodywork, we are opposed to genocide, ethnic cleansing, imperialism, and colonization – processes of domination, exploitation, and extermination of life that are currently taking place in Palestine, as well as other parts of the world, including Turtle Island (colonially known North America).

We acknowledge that the impacts of the violence in Palestine are far-reaching and have been troubling to many communities. As leaders in the Institute, we know that some of you may be seeking safe-enough spaces to share and receive support. We are visioning what that might look like here, and we would also like to share some resource links below.

We also acknowledge that for some students, this may raise the question of where we stand on anti-Semitism and whether Jewish students are supported at our school. It is our intention to deeply welcome and stand in solidarity with Jewish people, culture, and history, and we resolve to oppose anti-Semitism in all its forms. We do not believe that supporting a free Palestine is contradictory to this value but rather intertwined with it.

We welcome a multiplicity of perspectives and are open to conversation on this issue with you as we work towards right relationship within this shared learning community. We remain committed to the right to life, freedom, and pleasure for all.

The Solidarity Statement from Sex Workers within Somatic Sex Education can be read here.

Your Faculty In Somatic Sex Education