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For the last seven years, a collection of whores, dominatrices, and other artistic-minded sex workers have been touring en masse to bare the truth about their professions and show another side of sex work. On February 7th, this year's tour hit the Knitting Factory in NYC. With a packed lineup that ran the gamut from inspiring and arousing to amusing and ardent, the performers played to a crowd of artists, queers, and sex workers themselves, and that sense of community was evident in the way they addressed the crowd: as peers and friends, rather than an anonymous room full of strangers.

The largely queer crowd was ready for what these performers had to offer, though were still occasionally shocked into silence as each performer offered a glimpse into their real lives, beyond the label "sex worker." Each presented a different way of looking at her former or current life as a sex worker, some laughing, some bitter, some political, all highly charged, the kinds of performances you can't look away from.

Hometown favorite Dr. Ducky DooLittle, who's garnered attention recently for her lectures at The Museum of Sex, provided a healthy dose of pro-anal sex ed, while also giving a glimpse into her childhood. Born with a disability, she had to wear a brace on her leg, and felt very un-sexy growing up, but later went on to model for numerous adult magazines including Leg Show, work as a peep show girl in Times Square and make a living in the sex industry. Ducky's triumph and love for her work clearly showed on her face, and she managed a perfect mix of truthful reality and celebration without bitterness or alienating her audience.

Ana Jae, who works in a "cozy little dungeon" in Chicago, read from a laptop about house boys and running her own dungeon and provided perhaps the funniest and most cogent line of the night: "I hate getting angry at stupid men for free." Part of the beauty of the show was the ability for the performers to vent, sharing the darker side of their work without fear that they'll be seen as traitors to the cause.

The stunning Erochica Bambo, who joined the tour from Japan, gave what was perhaps the most "typical" burlesque performance, what one might expect from a showgirl, or in her case, Miss Exotic World 2003. In sparkling outfits she bent her body all over (and off of) the stage, hers was the least overtly political performance, but managed to inject knowing insight with looks and body language, queering her act and imbuing it with an intelligence seemingly at odds with her glittering outfit.

The attitudes about sex work ranged from angry to the celebratory brightness of Scarlot Harlot, a.k.a. Carol Leigh, who was dressed in the gaudiest of outfits, an amalgam of American flag and glow stick. Her irrepressible optimism was a fitting closing to the three hour show, as she led the giddy audience in cheers and chants, flinging sloganeering stickers urging people to work towards decriminalization and overall living up to her reputation as the "unrepentant whore."

All too often, the general public hears about sex workers, usually in a negative light, or as an "issue" to be dealt with, and there is a very clear demarcation between "us" and "them" in the mainstream media. So for that reason alone it's refreshing to hear these real voices from real women, and the occasional man, that don't sugarcoat or glorify their realities, but also don't solely focus on the negative. These oral storytellers painted a diverse picture of sex as work, filled with the dramas and complexities of job, along with social stigma and emotional drainage. There was quite the mix, with most performers explaining how and why they got into their work, as well as pointing out some of the humorous, dangerous (physically and emotionally), and complicated factors that sex work brings out. And even though this was a national tour, none of the performances were rote or overly rehearsed, instead crackling with the rare energy and emotion of people speaking their most powerful and personal truths.

For more information, visit: www.sexworkersartshow.com