Sydney sex workers protest against discrimination on International Whores Day

Melbourne, June 2 (ANI): Sydney sex workers marked International Whores Day on Tuesday by protesting outside NSW Parliament demanding an end to discrimination.

The Scarlet Alliance demanded that the Government extend anti-discrimination laws to protect sex workers.

Elena Jeffreys, the president of the alliance, said that banks and lenders discriminated against NSW sex workers when applying for loans.

She also pointed out that newspapers charged inflated prices for sex workers' ads.

"In NSW, we're not covered by anti-discrimination or equal opportunity laws which cover everybody else, particularly when it comes to loan lenders, banks, local council and newspapers who can discriminate without recourse," the Courier Mail quoted her as saying.

"In Queensland and the ACT there is anti-discrimination protection parity but in NSW sex workers are charged 10 times more to advertise," she added.

Sex worker Ivy McIntosh, who revealed that newspapers often asked for ten times the amount charged for a normal ad when it came to publishing a sex ad, said that there rights were also "human rights".

She said that there was a misconception about sex workers' income, which had led banks to deny them loans.

"Some banks don't want to give sex workers loans because they think we don't have a reliable income," she said.

"But sex work is a real job, we pay tax, we want houses, we own houses and we don't default on our loans," she added. (ANI)