Sexpectations: Redefining Consent, Work and Rights

As part of our Sexpectations season, former sex worker and campaigner Elizabeth G, alongside East London Stripper Collective representative Stacey Clare discuss sex work in the UK and the fight for the rights of those involved.

Elizabeth G. is a British author and podcaster, campaigning for equality for sex workers. She is currently working to expand the scope of The Equality Act 2010 to include the sex industry, protecting those within it from discrimination. Her candid memoir, Unashamed: Why Do People Pay for Sex? is a no-holds-barred, taboo-busting account of life as a sex worker and what it’s like to build a successful career in a multimillion-pound industry that exists largely in the shadows.

The East London Strippers Collective (ELSC) is a network of feminist, independent strippers, ex-strippers, and sex workers. Founded in 2014, the ELSC promotes self-organisation among strippers and lap dancers, challenging stigma, standing up to exploitation, and advocating for improved safety and harm reduction within the wider sex industry. The collective grew from a grassroots collaboration of striptease performers in East London SEVs (Sexual Entertainment Venues), united by a shared desire to see their safety, dignity, and employment rights acknowledged within the industry.

Stacey Clare, a stripper, writer, activist, theatre performer, and co-founder of the ELSC, is the resident “Gobbess” of the collective. She campaigns for sex workers’ rights, gives public talks, and writes articles, including for her book The Ethical Stripper. As one half of the sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show Ask A Stripper, Stacey travels across the country campaigning for strippers’ employment rights, making media appearances such as Good Morning Britain and a TedX Talk.