The whore gaze as the world burns: A conversation between PJ Starr, Monica Jones, The Incredible, Edible, Akynos and Bambi Katsura.

ABSTRACT

This illustrated conversation between The Incredible, Edible, Akynos, Monica Jones, PJ Starr and Bambi Katsura unpacks how we use media to continue our sex worker activism during the multiple pandemics of COVID-19, police violence and environmental disasters. We each bring our histories and theoretical innovations to the table including the framework of the 'Whore Gaze' developed by PJ, Monica's approach to documentary that ensures trans people narrate their own lives, Akynos' scripted film series Chronicles of a Black Heaux that may re-imagine the 'melomentary form' for sex worker representation and Bambi's experience as a filmmaker and curator. In our conversation, we discuss how we use film, photography, film festivals, animation and other forms for our activism to promote social justice. We also describe how we are systematically unlearning the codes of representation of research and human rights documentation, so that we can create materials that are accessible to our communities, to people with disabilities and be freed from the dead-end of respectability politics.