Rage Against the System: Sex Workers of the ECP Take on the Church, Racism, and Police Brutality
Sex workers have been at the forefront of abolitionist movements for centuries. Many have spent their lives fighting to be seen, heard, and taken seriously. As a collective, sex workers continue to fight against the church, politicians, police, and a society that doesn’t value them or their work. It’s no surprise that the event that marked the beginning of the modern sex workers movement happened while occupying a church—the Holy Cross Church, to be exact.
The occupiers of London’s Holy Cross Church were members of the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP). Beginning on November 20, 1982, the ladies of the ECP took over the church with the assistance of the church vicar and allies like the men from Gay’s The Word bookshop, who brought the women food.
But how did this start? How did fifteen women—some who brought their children with them—occupy a church to fight against police brutality and racism?
There are two important pieces of context you should know: one, the majority of the sex workers in the UK and King’s Cross were women of color; and two, the police and the larger community didn’t care about their lives because, to them, they were reckless women who sold their bodies. The women were tired of a system that didn’t care if they lived or died. A system that watched them raped, murdered, beaten, and fined for working; a system that limited their access to resources and legal protection.
The English Collective of Prostitutes began in 1975 when two immigrant women were inspired by sex workers in France who had occupied a church and went on strike that same year. The English Collective of Prostitutes campaigned for abolishing prostitution laws like the Street Offenses Act of 1959 (UK), which states that prostitution is legal, but solicitation is not. The ECP also worked with services in the community to help women look for economic alternatives to prostitution.
Their goal was not only to decriminalize sex work but also to be treated as workers for their labor. Sex work has never been seen as work, even though it’s one of the only professions with “work” in the name. Even before the ECP formed, sex, or street, workers were fined for illegality reasons and weren’t taken seriously, despite working in toxic environments. The police and the church (or other religious entities) deemed their work immoral and unbefitting a woman in society. That is why they were denied protection for crimes such as rape and violent assaults. The leaders of the ECP emphasized how sex work and sex workers’ mistreatment was an economic issue. Many sex workers were young immigrants and single mothers, trying to earn a living while their rights were being attacked and violated. The ECP explained that their complaints against abusers were not taken seriously, and that they were often harassed when working. Police often arrested the women on multiple accounts and refused to give them bail unless they pleaded guilty to solicitation charges, even when they were not working.
“No more, we’re gonna get justice now . . . we’re not pleading guilty when we’re not guilty, we’re not gonna have our children taken away, we’re not gonna have threats or blackmail come down on us anymore.”—ECP first spokesperson Selma James to Newsbeat Reporter during the 1982 occupation.
Grievance against the police
The police not only fined, harassed, and arrested sex workers, but they:
Infiltrated social services to try and get custody of their children.
Pressured members of the community to admit to solicitation, whether they were associated with sex work or not.
Continued to release abusive pimps from prison after the women asked for protection.
Began arresting the independent sex workers who made a living without the backing of a pimp.
This is why the ECP chose to occupy Holy Cross Church, located in the red-light area, and fight against police brutality and racism, and for the right to a safe environment. Wearing masks to conceal their identities, they decided to take drastic measures to occupy the church to bring the issue to public attention so something could be done.
Allies Supporting the Rage
The women of the ECP received support from many: not only from sex workers and women of color from around the world, but also from organizations and individuals, including Andaiye, a member of Guyana’s Working People’s Alliance, and Sappho, a lesbian organization whose members showed up on the steps of the Holy Cross Church to showcase their solidarity with the protesting ECP. The church’s vicar supported the women by allowing them to stay, saying that they had a right to make their point.
In the end, the Holy Cross occupation won them amnesty from arrest, and compensation for formerly incarcerated sex workers.
The Fight Continues
Even after the protest, sex workers continued to be harassed. The ECP continued to work against the social stigma placed on sex workers. They ran campaigns for the decriminalization of prostitution, created a Safety First Coalition after the murders of five young women in Ipswich, England, and protested again and again for the government and police to prioritize their lives. In 2009, the English Collective of Prostitutes campaigned against the Policing and Crime Act. The ECP argued that the bill would put the lives of sex workers in danger by increasing police power and arrests in areas where the women felt safe to work, thus making it more difficult for them to work and placing them in a situation where they wouldn’t be able to report crimes committed against them.
The ECP today continues to mobilize against police brutality, advocate for proper resources for sex workers, and speak out about the economic pressures that sex workers face.
Why Do We Amplify?
From 1975 to today, the English Collective of Prostitutes has made it their mission to decriminalize sex work and stand against those who bring harm to sex workers. They fought to end deportation for migrant sex workers, winning against the Brexit deportation orders in 2016. They even created a Know Your Rights Guide, which included sex workers’ rights against deportation.
The ECP protested internationally and held strikes with their international sister organization in Thailand, EMPOWER. As one of the inspirations for the modern sex workers’ rights movement, the ECP has mobilized globally and inspired others to do the same. We amplify the English Collective of Prostitutes because they created a collective power and fought against a system that was actively harming them, and continue to this day to advocate for resources for sex workers and decriminalize sex work globally. The members of the ECP are people fighting for better wages, protection, abolishment, and better work environments. Sex work is work, and should be treated as such.
More information about the ECP, and other Amplifying Reads
Want to get a glimpse of what the movement was like from the inside? Check out Strangers & Sisters: Women, Race, and Immigration by Selma James, the first spokesperson for the ECP.
Fact: On March 6, 1979, with the support of ECP, Maureen Colquhoun, MP, introduced and passed the Protection of Prostitutes Bill.
Sex Workers Unite: A History of the Movement from Stonewall to SlutWalk by Melinda Chateauvert is a great book on the sex workers movement and how sex workers have been at the forefront of many movements, including, abolition.
Sexual Labor in the Athenian Courts by Allison Glazebrook is a book about complex cultural constructions of sexual labor in classical Athens.
Fact: In 1995, the first prosecution ever for rape against sex workers took place with the support of the ECP and Women Against Rape. Both groups supported two sex workers in bringing a private prosecution, ultimately putting the rapist behind bars.
Check out We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival by Natalie West, a collection of narrative essays by sex workers that presents a crystal-clear rejoinder: There’s never been a better time to fight for justice.
This book is on my personal 2022 to-be-read list: Downtown Juárez by Howard Campbell, about the normalization of violence in the “lives of sex workers, drug dealers, barflies, and drug addicts in downtown Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, one of the most dangerous cities in the world.”
Fact: The Sex Work Decriminalization Bill in Australia was passed in February 2022. The bill ensures that Victorian sex workers receive the same protection as other workers.
Check out the ECP church occupation footage from 1982 and the podcast episode, Very Loose Women—English Collective of Prostitutes.
Amplify Reader and author Ariane Ambriz recommends Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison. The book tackles the contradictions of a woman’s place in the church and immorality.
*All photos courtesy of the English Collective of Prostitutes archives
Joycelyn lives in Cypress, Texas. She’s the daughter of immigrants and did not go to law school, but she received three degrees (BA, MA, MPH) and is happily freelancing and working in the nonprofit world. She enjoys writing about healthcare recruitment and even worked as a Healthcare Organizer. When she’s not writing, she’s transcribing, developing community toolkits, and researching womxn’s history. Which is why she’s excited about writing for AMPLIFY. On her off days, she spends her time on Twitter, reminding everyone to drink water and enabling others to watch more dramas. Follow her on Twitter: @jg_humanitarian