ABSTRACT
Participatory action research has been extensively used by many researchers to ensure that collaborative projects are carried out with sex workers rather than on them. Practitioners of action research typically involve community members who are most affected by the issues under study from the inception of the project, especially through the definition of objectives. The Peer Education Project with Sex Workers comprised two phases that involved 15 sex workers with diverse characteristics and sex industry experiences, including 9 cisgender women, 5 cisgender men, and 1 transwoman. Activism, public assumption as sex workers, becoming visible rather than hiding, having an active voice, being affirmative, and seeing their experiences as valid are clear signs of sex workers’ empowerment. The sex worker peer educators’ involvement in various actions, including their participation in the conference, May Day demonstrations, and lecture made possible and materialized their political and social activism. Participatory methods may be seen as a contribution to social justice.
