Sex Work

The discriminatory practice of redlining has been reinvented for the 21st century and it's targeting the sex industry.

Crowdfunding platforms continue to make it clear that sex workers are not welcome.

In a recent article, VICE News speculated that the Department of Justice’s initiative Operation Choke Point may be putting pressure on banks like Chase to terminate the accounts of several high-profile porn performers, including Teagan Presley, Stoya, and Chanel Preston. On Twitter many other porn performers claimed that their accounts were being closed, and that they had been offered little explanation beyond being labeled “high risk.” An insider at Wells Fargo responded, “We encourage these industry workers to come to us," according to TMZ. By the time Mother Jones was pushing back with a “Chase representative” claiming that Choke Point was not singling out people in the porn industry, I was exasperated.

By and large, these articles failed to mention the fact that sex workers like myself are shut out of institutions every single day. Whorephobia, the fear and hatred of sex workers, is one of the very first things every single sex worker learns how to navigate.

Reportedly, Chase Bank recently sent letters to hundreds of porn performers informing them that their accounts will be shut down by mid-May. This isn't the first time Chase has targeted those who work in the adult industry -- and, sadly, I doubt it will be the last.