Live List of Sex Worker-Friendly Resources
Legal Resources
American Bar Association
Free legal help, including answering legal questions online and connecting you with a local low-cost/pro bono lawyer.
SWOP BEHIND BARS
From their website: “If you are in trouble in North America, call us and we can help you get access to what you need. 1-877-776-2004, extension 1.”
National Lawyers Guild
They put out an important free downloadable pamphlet, You Have the Right to Remain Silent: A Know Your Rights Guide for Law Enforcement Encounters, available in English, Spanish, and several other languages.
SWOP Chicago
In Case of Arrest: What NOT To Do 10-point checklist that outlines what your rights are, and how not to make a bad situation worse. Check it out for learning how to handle run-ins with the law.
Red Light Legal
An Oakland-based organization providing direct legal services, legal representation, community education, and effective policy advocacy to sex workers in all corners of the industry. They provide a police misconduct checklist.
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
Legal advocates for adults in consensual kink, poly, and other alternative lifestyles.
Pros Network Chicago (Providers and Resources Offering Services to Sex Workers)
A directory of direct service providers and legal, medical and mental health professionals who are capable of providing non-judgmental, client-centric and harm reduction-oriented services to individuals in the sex industry.
State Bar of California
“How To Find the Right Lawyer” page with helpful guidelines on everything to ask when hiring an attorney. They have a helpful pro bono page as well.
APAC
List of sex-worker friendly lawyers.
The Lawyer List
List of sex-worker friendly criminal defense lawyers complied by Maggie McNeill, The Honest Courtesan.
Avvo
Free legal advice website for straightforward questions. Sex worker friendly. Easy-to-use form to submit your question anonymously, and licensed attorneys will respond. This is a site for lawyers to generate business, so you can look here to hire a lawyer as well.
California Pro Bono
When seeking free or low cost legal advice, you will most likely be talking to lawyers at the beginning or the end of their careers. California Pro Bono can connect you with law students and retired attorneys in state; they provide national resource links as well.
Law Help
Clearinghouse website for free nonprofit legal aid services in the U.S.
National Lawyers Guild SF Chapter (NLGSF)
Excellent online legal resource for sex workers: a list of sex worker criminal law resources (CA and national), and the Sex Worker Know Your Rights Manual.
Pro Bono Net
National clearinghouse website for pro bono attorneys helping the poor and disadvantaged, serving 22 U.S. states and internationally.
Privacy Resources
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Organization devoted to protecting online privacy. They put out a paper called Protection Your Anonymity and Privacy: A How-To for Sex Workers.
Blocked!
Excellent primer on online safety put out by SWARM. While U.K.-centric in its resources, the advice is stellar wherever you live. Email them directly to request a copy: contact at swarmcollective dot org.
How To Be Invisible
Ebook for protecting your online identity by J.J. Luna.
The Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy: Practical Tips for Staying Safe Online.
Author: Violet Blue. Certainly not just for smart girls.
Online Safety. Feminist Frequency
A guide for protecting yourself from online harassment.
VPN Beginner’s Guide
Helpful breakdown on what a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is, guidelines for whether or not they are useful for your purposes, and links to inexpensive options.
Safety Resources
St. James Infirmary’s Occupational Health and Safety Handbook
St. James Infirmary literally wrote the book on safety and sex work, available for free online.
Staying Safe in the Sex Industry
SWOP Chicago’s useful safety articles across job titles.
Keeping Safe: Safety Advice for Sex Workers in the U.K.
Although this was written for British sex workers (and paid for with British lottery funds!), most of this advice holds true in the U.S.