Editing Sex worker (section)

== Terminology ==
{{Further|Sex work#Types}}
The term "sex worker" was coined in 1978 by sex worker activist [[Carol Leigh]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-11-04 |title=Carol Leigh coins the term "sex work" |url=http://www.nswp.org/timeline/event/carol-leigh-coins-the-term-sex-work |website=www.nswp.org}}</ref> Its use became popularized after publication of the anthology, ''Sex Work: Writings By Women In The Sex Industry'' in 1987, edited by Frédérique Delacoste and Priscilla Alexander.<ref name="sex-work">{{Cite book |last1=Delacoste |first1=Frédérique |title=Sex Work : Writings by Women in the Sex Industry. |last2=Alexander |first2=Priscilla |date=1987 |publisher=Cleis Press Start |isbn=9781573447010 |edition=2nd}}</ref><ref>[http://www.bayswan.org/sexwork-oed.html "The Etymology of the terms 'Sex Work' and 'Sex Worker'"], ''BAYSWAN.org''. Accessed 2009-09-11.</ref><ref name="whores-and-other">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WBDRYi9B3TwC |title=Whores and Other Feminists |date=1997 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-91822-0 |editor-last=Nagle |editor-first=Jill |language=en}}</ref> The term "sex worker" has since spread into much wider use, including in academic publications, by NGOs and labor unions, and by governmental and intergovernmental agencies, such as the [[World Health Organization]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005 |title=Violence Against Sex Workers and HIV Prevention |url=https://www.who.int/gender/documents/sexworkers.pdf |publisher=World Health Organization}}</ref> The term is listed in the [[Oxford English Dictionary]]<ref name=oed1/> and [[Merriam-Webster]]'s Dictionary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=sex worker |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sex%20worker |publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary}}</ref>

The term "sex worker" is used by some types of sex workers (i.e. prostitutes) to avoid invoking the [[Social stigma|stigma]] associated with the word "[[prostitute]]". Using the term "sex worker" rather than "prostitute" also allows more members of the sex industry to be represented and helps ensure that individuals who are actually prostitutes are not singled out and associated with the negative connotations of "prostitute". In addition, choosing to use the term "sex worker" rather than "prostitute" shows ownership over the individuals' career choices. Some argue that those who prefer the term "sex worker" wish to separate their occupation from their person. Describing someone as a sex worker recognizes that the individual may have many different facets, and are not necessarily defined by their job.

The term is strongly opposed, however, by many who are morally or politically opposed to the sex industry, such as [[social conservatives]], [[anti-prostitution feminists]], and other prohibitionists.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2000 |title=Prostitution: Factsheet on Human Rights Violations |url=http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/faq/000008.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104111446/http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/faq/000008.html |archive-date=2010-01-04 |access-date=2009-09-03 |publisher=Prostitution Research & Education}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farley |first=Melissa |date=2003 |title=Prostitution and the Invisibility of Harm |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232850326 |access-date=10 April 2018 |publisher=Prostitiution Research & Education}}</ref> Such groups view prostitution variously as a crime or as victimization, and see the term "[[sex work]]" as legitimizing criminal activity or exploitation as a type of labor.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Farley |first=Melissa |date=2006 |title=Prostitution, trafficking, and cultural amnesia: What we must not know in order to keep the business of sexual exploitation running smoothly |url=http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/pdfs/FarleyYaleLaw2006.pdf |journal=Yale Journal of Law and Feminism |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=109–144 |quote=Some words hide the truth. Just as torture can be named enhanced interrogation, and logging of old-growth forests is named the Healthy Forest Initiative, words that lie about prostitution leave people confused about the nature of prostitution and trafficking. The words 'sex work' make the harms of prostitution invisible |access-date=2009-09-12 |archive-date=2017-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531122643/http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/pdfs/FarleyYaleLaw2006.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Baptie |first=Trisha |author-link=Trisha Baptie |date=2009-04-29 |title='Sex worker' ? Never met one ! |url=http://sisyphe.org/spip.php?article3290 |access-date=2009-09-12 |website=Sisyphe.org}}</ref>