The Canadian Grand Prix roared into town this weekend, but one group was making its noise off the track. The Sex Work Autonomous Committee mobilized a strike of Montreal’s sex workers to coincide with the festivities, purposefully choosing a time when the city’s hospitality economy is at full throttle.

I spoke with Nikki, a spokesperson for the group who preferred that her real name not be used for privacy reasons, about what they’re demanding and how those demands intersect with something we rarely discuss in this context: personal finance.

According to Nikki, their demand is simple: to be recognized as workers.

Sex workers have always lived among us, despite the stigma that pushes them to the margins. As Canadian sex-work activist Valerie Scott once said: “The odds are strong you may have known at least one for a long time.”

In personal finance, advice is usually straightforward: build credit, save for emergencies, contribute to retirement. But criminalization and stigma push sex workers out of this equation. Without employment status, they struggle to rent........

© Montreal Gazette