Asian Women Workers in Massage Parlours and the Sex Industry and Their Fight Against Anti-Asian Racism

Elene Lam

Elene Lam York University

Abstract

This article examines how Asian migrant sex workers have continuously been targeted by the “carceral web” of Canadian laws and policies at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. A case study of Newmarket, Ontario’s municipal council’s recent “crackdown” on personal wellness establishments illustrates how systematic racism and “whorephobia” are embedded in the regulations targeting low-income Asian migrant women, particularly those who work in massage parlours and the sex industry. The article ends with a discussion of how Asian workers in massage parlours and the sex industry are actively working to resist, fight for their rights, and build solidarity to push back against racist oppressions targeting them.

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Author Biography

Elene Lam, York University

Elene Lam is an activist, artist, community organizer, and educator. For over two decades, she has been a dedicated advocate for sex workers, migrants, and gender, labor, and racial justice. She is the founder of Butterfly, the Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network, and the co- author of Not Your Rescue Project: Migrant Sex Workers Fighting for Justice. Elene is a Sessional Assistant Professor in Critical Disability Studies at the School of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Health, York University.