Hi everyone,

Myself * and Laura Connelly**

would love to invite you to be part of a research project which has full ethical approval from the University of Sheffield. It is called Equality and Inclusion: Promoting responsible academic engagement with sex workers.

It aims to explore how academics can operate in more ethical and responsible ways with sex workers, from the perspective of sex workers. Ultimately, we hope the project will encourage more research that works in service to the sex workers’ rights movement – that is, research that works with sex workers to meet the needs and goals of sex workers (and avoids the harm we know some lots of research has caused in the past).


We have attached an advertising image, and more information can be sent if you email me.  The latter outlines what participation in the project would involve, as well as other important information including around anonymity and confidentiality. It's long which is why I didn't want to post it here.

We are looking for sex workers to take part in a 1hr interview between now and around 8th July. It can be online or in person. We can offer a £40 voucher as a thank you.  We fought to be able to pay participants, but the ethics approval board at the university wouldn't allow it, which is why we can offer a voucher for an interview - however, while this isn't a media request,  I am happy to donate to the running costs of SAAFE as a thank you. I know it's not perfect but you'd be contributing to a world where hopefully payment can be standard practise.

I am more than happy to answer any questions or address any issues, so please reply here to DM me, or email one of us (addresses below)

Thank you so much!

Laura, and Victoria
Laura Connelly can be contacted on L.Connelly@sheffield.ac.uk
Victoria Holt can be contacted on holt@roehampton.ac.uk

* SWARM member, sex worker rights activist, sex worker 10+ years, and current PhD student at Roehampton. More info here: https://forgedintimacies.com/
**Lecturer in Criminology, and anti-racist scholar activist whose work is social justice oriented. She works closely with sex worker-led and voluntary sector organisations in support of the global movement for sex workers’ rights. More info here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/socstudies/people/academic-staff/laura-connelly