ABSTRACT
The 1975 occupation by prostitutes of a church in Lyon is widely cited as the genesis of the movement of sex workers rights in Europe. Specific prostitutes' protests have been recorded as far back as 1790 in Paris. This chapter provides a brief history of the movement for sex workers' rights. It focuses on the way in which sex workers' rights struggles have emerged and are expressed in the context of particular liberal democracies. The chapter examines the way in which political aspirations have translated into legal claims that express demands for 'sexual minority rights' and 'workers' rights'. It highlights the potential problems that may arise from this particular construction and its attendant modes of mobilisation, as they tend to individualise claims and to serve, rather than disrupt, programmes of governance. Sex worker unionisation seeks to harness the solidarity of fellow workers and access protections and support from the wider labour movement to fight exploitation.
