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STRIPPER STRIKE CHICAGO
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By Justin Corey | September 28th, 2022
By Juana Summers | September 16th, 2022
By Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | May 28th, 2022
By Kim Kelly | April 4th, 2022
By Noelle Crombie | September 10th, 2021
By Cat Hollis as told to Zoe Sigman | September 26, 2020
By EJ Dickson | July 1st, 2020
By Zane Sparkling | November 18th, 2020
By Jayati Ramakrishnan | November, 17th, 2020
By Hannah Ramsey | Nov 15, 2020
By Tess Novotny (OPB) and John Notarianni (OPB) | Nov 14, 2020
By KOIN 6 NEWS staff | Nov 11, 2020
By Jack Newman | Nov 11, 2020
By Zoe Sigman | Oct 6, 2020
By April M. Short | Oct 2, 2020
Illustration: Ashley Floréal
By Tess Novotny | July 13, 2020
Photo by Zane Sparling
By Zane Sparling | July 11 2020
By Brit Dawson | July 3rd, 2020
By Samantha Swindler | Jun 26, 2020
It is perhaps a sign of the political moment that nearly 30 strip clubs in Portland have agreed to the strike’s terms in the past two weeks.
By Tess Riski | June 16, 2020
By Brenna Kelly | Jun 16, 2020
Cat Hollis, a queer Black stripper, founded Haymarket Pole Collective (HMPC) in response to the discrimination that Black, Brown, Indigenous and/or Transgender entertainers face on a daily basis. Cat’s lived experiences radicalized their understanding of racism in the adult industry long ago––they recall one night when club staff refused to address a customer targeting them with racial slurs. But in May 2020, behavior from Portland strip clubs in response to George Floyd’s murder prompted Cat to seek recourse through collective action.
Haymarket Pole Collective thus began as a support network for the Portland Stripper Strikes in 2020: a series of actions to demand better working conditions for Black, Indigenous and or transgender sex workers in Oregon. As a result, 27 Portland-area clubs signed up for anti-racism training. This means 27 clubs publicized anti-discrimination policies, 27 clubs hosted anti-racism and sexual assault awareness trainings, and 27 clubs awakened to the collective power of Portland’s adult entertainers.
We also historically offered skill-building resources for sex workers; provided legal aid for labor-related lawsuits; advocated for policy change at the business, state, and federal levels; and provided educational grants to erotic service providers of color.
During the summer of 2020, we also hosted community-building events, marches, and rallies. Haymarket Pole Collective hosted community listening sessions where Black, Indigenous, and/or transgender sex workers could commiserate and build community through sharing lived experiences. These events built notoriety and a strong community base of support.
As our energy was drained from hosting twice weekly events, PDX Stripper Strike organizers came together to envision a more sustainable way of moving forward. And Haymarket Pole Collective was born. Our focus initially was on long term systems change and labor organizing, but as we were working toward our goals, we came to realize we needed to fill immediate basic needs first and foremost. We then pivoted to direct aid and outreach and healing justice programming.
“Historically and generally the people working in this industry have been disregarded but Haymarket Pole has shined some light on a cause that a lot would rather keep in the dark. The biggest gift of all is the gift of being seen, being heard and being validated and I'll forever be eternally grateful for the kindness that you have shown to me! Thank you all so very much"
“Seriously the best program I have ever been a part of! I can’t believe something like this exists. Thanks Haymarket!!!”
“Since the very beginning of the pandemic, Haymarket Pole has consciously and consistently done an amazing job with outreach and assisting sex workers that need support in marginalized communities. My family has been so blessed to receive assistance on more than one occasion from this invaluable organization. In a time of uncertainty, it means so much to have someone advocating for sex workers' rights and wellness. I am also a single parent who has heavily relied on social services like this in order to survive in a time of uncertainty. Receiving support from Haymarket pole has been extremely appreciated and very helpful. I’m so thankful for all the hard work that this organization does.” - KD
I love you guys and the help [you] give , our part of the community is overlooked or people choose to act like we don’t exist!!” - TB
The tote that Haymarket Pole gave me this spring has provided me many tools that allow me to keep myself safe! When working in this industry safety is my biggest risk so I appreciate the help! Thanks to the micro grant I can also share supplies with other girls in the industry and I know they'll be just as grateful! Thank you to Haymarket Pole and everyone who's contributed and collaborated to help make this possible for someone like me, for all the others like me.”
“It's helpful just knowing that there are people who value us and take the time to think about what we need.”
"Haymarket Pole has been an absolute blessing for me and my children. They have helped out in so many ways. Work has been really slow and they blessed me with
$1000 for my rent. It was absolutely perfect timing. Idk what I would have done without it. The Fred Meyers gift cards are also absolutely amazing. They helped out with diapers and wipes this month.”
“The pandemic caused a lot of sw [sex workers] to experience even more food and housing insecurity, domestic violence and assault. It also pushed more sw [sex workers] into taking greater risks just to make ends meet. Many times, I couldn’t afford tampons and would either bundle up toilet paper all cycle or take handfuls of tampons from the clubs once they opened. The tote helped feed me and keep me safe through some of the most difficult unprecedented times. My favorite and most helpful items were the tampons, diva cup, std tests, and Fred Meyer gift cards. Thank you so much” - JF
“I want to say thank you for my backpack tote, IKEA bag, ALL the reproductive health items, and the Fred Meyer gift card. Usually, people don’t give a crap about people like me, the struggle is real, but I really appreciate the way y’all interact with me and the way y’all run your program. It’s inspiring for me to see people all helping without judging and without needing to get in my business along the way. I love having an emergency go bag!! It has given me hope that I can at least take care of myself for a few days if I ever end up on the streets again. Thank you for helping me/us!” -KS
“I received a tote this March and I got so many great necessities, something I don’t even think about needing until it’s the moment I need them! For instance the dental dam … in our work that’s not really thought about but when I get them donated to me I use them up so fast [which] also protects me and makes my work safer and also the community safer as well….also the survival bag I got was a god send!! No one ever imagines they would need a bag like that until u get one and see what it’s used for… my bag is set where I can grab and go in an emergency and that’s the only bag I will grab, I also want to touch on the more common stuff like tampons, condoms, diva cups , std test pregnancy test and plan B …. All of these things we need desperately to keep not just ourselves but everyone down the line we see and our partners see. All of the more common stuff is available but not like people think, yes we can get condoms from out medical providers for free or planned parenthood but not in the quantity we need and not discreetly a large amount…also tampons and diva cups are available and u can find them [cheap] but still some months cheep is not an option and I have to just utilize toilet paper so to stock up on months worth is amazing!! The plan B is also great because it’s expensive and not covered on medical and accidents do [happened] often even when u are super safe I don’t want to seem like anything is or was missing from the tote but it would also be great to have feminine wipes, wash and douches and possibly lubricant which sound like a non safety but a lot of times In this work ur not [lubricated] and it causes a ton of condom breaks… Again, thank u so much for everything just wanted to throw a few things that may help to but they are great with what they have!! I love you guys and the help [you] give , our part of the community is overlooked or people choose to act like we don’t exist!!” - TB
“Seriously. I don't know the last time I filled a cart with things I wanted. Because of HMPC I was able to have a Thanksgiving. A real one. And have something to put under my tree. Because of covid, I haven't been able to have consistent work. Knowing I'm covid negative and having the ability to buy groceries completely changed my outlook on getting through this winter. Thank you to every Haymarketeer and to the YWCA.”
“Covid sucked cause I lost the ability to work my full hours after all my roommates started working from home. Not being able to find a vanilla job that could supplement me in the meantime because Vegas completely shut down. What's a tourist city without tourists? The micro grant helps me by alleviating the stress of where and when I'd be able to get food. Being able to finally take a covid test is extremely helpful in me knowing where I stand health wise. Not having to worry about paying out of pocket because of my lack of insurance.”
“My favorite part of the micro grant is the emergency ready to go bag. Growing up I was hounded into being prepared at all times, living through the Northridge earthquake just made my mom way more extreme about being on the ready at any time. Knowing I have my own bag to help incase I ever come into a situation like that again is always immensely stress relieving. I know I get too much with my million anxious questions, but I was never made to feel like I was a burden by anyone here.”
“I just wanted to express how grateful I am to receive the grant from Haymarket Pole. I haven't had reliable work since covid hit and my family suffered greatly for it. This tote gave me the opportunity to breathe a little and I was in need of every item in the grant. The emergency preparation kit is exactly what I needed to ensure I can keep my kids safe in case of an emergency. Thank you Haymarket Pole Collective and The Oregon Health Authority. Sincerely, BIPOC sex worker from Oregon.”
“I was 5 months sober when Covid started and just like that, my recovery services (outpatient program, meetings, community) stopped. A week or two later the bars shut down so I was no longer able to dance. While I have tried to acclimate to this new world (staying sober and going to zoom meetings)..a lot has never really been the same. The bars did reopen but money has never been the same as it once was. It's helpful just knowing that there are people who value us and take the time to think about what we need. I barely go grocery shopping lately. Today I was able to buy groceries and not worry if I had enough money or not. Thank you!!”
