Beyond the Gaze & Sex Worker Involvement
Beyond the Gaze is a participatory action research (PAR) project committed to the principles of peer involvement in the research process. During the course of the project sex workers will be central to the research project delivery in a number of ways for example;
- Community co-researchers are part of the research team contributing to research design, promoting sex worker participation in the research elements of the project, advise re resources for sex workers and disseminating findings. The whole team have contributed to various aspects of the research including the design of the customer and sex worker survey.
- An online ‘Beyond the Gaze’ advisory network of sex workers located throughout the UK provide advice and guidance about many aspects of the project including the research, resources and netreach development.
- Sex workers took part as participants in research interviews, between November 2015 and November 2016, with over 60 people interviewed. We’ve had such a fabulous response from people in the industry. We have had people from all over the UK, all genders, people working in escorting, BDSM work, phone sex chat & camming help us out. Big Thanks to all who have contributed by taking part in an interview!!
- Over 600 sex workers took part in our anonymous online sex worker survey which went live on 7th November 2016 and closed at the end of January 2017, this level of participation made it the largest survey of sex workers in the UK todate. Thanks to all who took part and also promoted the survey – fantastic support!
- Beyond the Gaze’ is supporting Basis Sex Work Project in developing it’s netreach and work with online sex workers in Leeds, this adopts a participatory approach.
- The BTG research team, supporters and other guest bloggers are contributing to a BTG blog hence many of our bloggers are sex workers.
In the spirit of PAR other ways of sex worker involvement has been identified as we go!
Getting in touch: If you are interested in the research and want to get in touch: Contact: Rosie at: rosie.campbell@leicester.ac.uk or or Teela at – teela.sanders@leicester.ac.uk