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Sex Workers At Play

By Ali Trachta in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 22, 2008 4:22PM

2008_02_dirtymartini.jpgIt’s cold. And you need something hot to spice up your weekend, don’t you? If so then make your way to the Funky Buddha Lounge, where this Saturday night the club will play host to the Sex Workers' Art Show, a traveling sextravaganza that features a variety of visual and performing arts produced entirely by sex workers.

But drooling porn-mongers need not apply - they won’t find gratuitous boob flashes or money shots here. These artists aim to stimulate the mind just as much as the body. The performers, most of whom are active workers in the sex industry and artists to boot, have channeled their creative mojo into art that opens discussion about the realities of sex work, and dispels the negative stereotypes surrounding their profession. (You know, like that they’re just big sluts and man-whores.)

The show is a sexual smörgåsbord, representing pretty much all sexual preferences and fantasies. Some of the featured acts include Keva I Lee, a former counselor and advocate for sex workers who gave it up to become one herself, as well as the World Famous “Bob,” known for her humorous burlesque shows and the ability to mix martinis with her cleavage. Even Chris Krause, an author acclaimed by Vanity Fair, was once a topless dancer. This group truly has the sex profession covered from tit to bottom. All of this is emceed by Annie Oakley, the production’s founder and self-proclaimed “den mother” since the show’s beginning in Olympia, Washington.

The show also features strippers, phone sex operators, film stars and the like, so whatever your pleasure you’re sure to be ... stimulated.

Funky Buddha Lounge, 728 W, Grand Ave., 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., tickets are $25 and benefit the Young Women’s Empowerment Project.

Photo from Dirty Martini's web site