Category Archives: Listen To Us

The Oldest Profession in Alaska History: A Fundraiser for CUSP

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The Oldest Profession in Alaska History: A Fundraiser for CUSP

Alaska’s history is full of stories, some hidden, some forgotten, and some that demand to be told. On Friday, October 10th, from 6 to 8 PM at Writers Block (3956 Spenard Rd, Anchorage), Community United for Safety and Protection (CUSP) invites you to an evening of short films, featured speakers, and important conversation about sex work and sex trafficking survivors, history, and policy.

The Oldest Profession in Alaska History highlights the deep ties of sex workers and sex trafficking survivors to Alaska’s past, while examining policies that, instead of offering support, often harm and create struggles for the very people they claim to help. The short films and discussions will explore not only history, but also the policies that continue to shape sex workers’ lives, policies that often criminalize, stigmatize, and endanger rather than protect.

Featured Speakers & Films

  • 🎥 Lady Los Angeles – A film festival selection exploring sex work and resilience.
  • 🎥 Anti-Trafficking: Harming While Trying to Help – A powerful critique of policies that often do more damage than good.
  • 🎤 Maxine Doogan – Anchorage Parlour Worker and long-time advocate for sex worker rights.
  • 🎤 David Reamer – Alaska’s hippest historian, bringing context and insight into the broader historical picture.

Why Attend?

This event isn’t just about history and policy; it’s about justice. CUSP has long been at the forefront of advocating for the rights and safety of sex workers and sex trafficking survivors in Alaska, pushing back against harmful legislation and amplifying the voices of those too often silenced.

Mark your calendar for this event!

By attending, you’re supporting a cause that advocates for equality and protection under the law.

📅 Date: Friday, October 10
⏰ Time: 6–8 PM
📍 Location: Writers Block, 3956 Spenard Rd
💵 Tickets: $22

👉 Get your tickets and more info here.

If you can’t make it but want to support the cause, you can also donate directly using the QR code on the flyer or here.

Come for the films, stay for the conversation, and leave knowing you’ve contributed to a movement working to make Alaska a safer, fairer place for everyone.

This month, celebrate resilience and the transformative power of LGBTQ+ storytelling with Puella Aeterna: What Would Lilith Do? by Ashley Marie Lettice

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Written and self-published on her phone while homeless on the beach, Ashley’s book is a testament to the sheer determination of a writer whose voice refuses to be silenced.

Puella Aeterna dives deep into themes of myth, freedom, and self-discovery, paying homage to mythic female resilience. Though Amazon hasn’t given it the spotlight it deserves, we’re excited to share this powerful work with our community.

Available on Kindle now, Puella Aeterna is a must-read for anyone supporting fearless LGBTQ+ creators.

KINDLE LINK

House Bill 66 will make sex workers and sex trafficking survivors charged with working or traveling together register as sex offenders

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House Bill 66 will make sex workers and sex trafficking survivors charged with working or traveling together register as sex offenders. It will be on the Senate Floor May 14th! We need your help!

House Bill 66 was just a bad homicide/overdose bill, but just over a week ago the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Senator Matt Claman, turned it into a 40 page criminal justice omnibus bill that does everything from allowing hearsay at grand jury to making people convicted of first and second degree sex trafficking register as sex offenders.

It makes sense for people convicted of sex trafficking in the first degree – most of that statute is what we traditionally think of as sex trafficking. Sex trafficking in the second degree is just things like sex workers traveling together or sharing clients – things that are done even more often by sex trafficking survivors than sex workers.

Here is a story about our member Amber being convicted of sex trafficking in the second degree under the travel part of the statute. More recently, a mother who was a victim of horrifically violent sex trafficking was charged in a similar way.

We need your help!

Email your opposition to all of our Alaska Senators! Ask them to vote no on HB 66 as long as Section 30 (page 24, line 9) includes Sex Trafficking in the Second Degree.

Senator.Bill.Wielechowski@akleg.gov;

Senator.Kelly.Merrick@akleg.gov;

Senator.Shelley.Hughes@akleg.gov;

Senator.David.Wilson@akleg.gov;

Senator.Bert.Stedman@akleg.gov;

Senator.Jesse.Kiehl@akleg.gov;

Senator.Gary.Stevens@akleg.gov;

Senator.Jesse.Bjorkman@akleg.gov;

Senator.Cathy.Giessel@akleg.gov;

Senator.James.Kaufman@akleg.gov;

Senator.Elvi.Gray-Jackson@akleg.gov;

Senator.matt.claman@akleg.gov;

Senator.Forrest.Dunbar@akleg.gov;

Senator.Loki.Tobin@akleg.gov;

Senator.Mike.Shower@akleg.gov;

Senator.Scott.Kawasaki@akleg.gov;

Senator.Click.Bishop@akleg.gov;

senator.robert.myers@akleg.gov;

Senator.Lyman.Hoffman@akleg.gov;

Senator.Donald.Olson@akleg.gov;

Why We Oppose House Bill 264

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Please see the following short presentation that we created to explain why House Bill 264 is a bad bill for Alaskans. 

Not only would HB 264 create misleading of definitions of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in Alaska statutes, but these misleading definitions will create more barriers to evidence based policy and lead to bad laws that impact all Alaskans.