Robyn Few (October 7, 1958 – September 13, 2012) was an American

sex workers' rights Sex workers' rights encompass a variety of aims being pursued globally by individuals and organizations that specifically involve the human, health, and labor rights of sex workers and their clients. The goals of these movements are diverse, but ...

activist who worked for the decriminalization of

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

, against violence targeted at sex workers, and, generally, for the improvement of sex workers' working conditions. A former prostitute, she founded and directed the

Sex Workers Outreach Project USA Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA (SWOP-USA) is a national social justice network dedicated to the fundamental human rights of sex workers and their communities, focusing on ending violence and stigma through education and advocacy. SWOP might b ...

(SWOP-USA), and helped organize the annual

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is observed annually on December 17 by sex workers, their advocates, friends, families and allies. Originally conceived as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Sea ...

. She was born in

Paducah, Kentucky Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missour ...

. She advocated the complete removal of prostitution from criminal codes, and disapproved of a legalization model as in Nevada. According to her biography on SWOP's website, she had worked as an

exotic dancer A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...

, then pursued a college degree in theater, and was active in the

medical marijuana Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...

movement in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. She first began working as a prostitute in a professional capacity in 1996, but she was a sex worker all her life, beginning with survival sex work as a thirteen-year-old runaway. In June 2002, she was arrested by an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

team. She pleaded guilty to a charge of

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...

to promote prostitution in December 2002, and received a sentence of 6 months'

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

and three years' probation in November 2003. She founded SWOP-USA in October 2003, and the first International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was organized in December of that year. In 2004, she designed a

ballot initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a pu ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

("Measure Q") that would have called for the city government to lobby for the decriminalization of prostitution at the state level, and would have instructed city police to cease sting operations and treat prostitution arrests with the lowest priority. The initiative failed, receiving 37% of the vote. In an interview in 2007, she defended the decision of prosecuted "D.C. Madam"

Deborah Jeane Palfrey Deborah Jeane Palfrey (March 18, 1956 – May 1, 2008), dubbed the D. C. Madam by the news media, operated Pamela Martin and Associates, an escort agency in Washington, D. C. Although she maintained that the company's services were legal, s ...

to name high-class clients of her erotic service, arguing that, "with the potential to drag many power brokers into the spotlight, Palfrey's revelations could serve as a turning point in the effort to decriminalize prostitution". For the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, December 17, 2008, she helped lead a

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Many attendees spoke about their own experiences with violence.Video of December 17th 2008 march
Video of December 17, 2008 march on Vimeo. Retrieved 30 December 2015. Few died after a long struggle with cancer in September 2012, aged fifty-three.

References

External links

* Short interview with Robyn Few at the International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harms in Warsaw, 2007: ,
SWOP USA website

Robyn's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Few, Robyn 1958 births 2012 deaths Activists from the San Francisco Bay Area Sex worker activists in the United States American prostitutes People from Paducah, Kentucky Deaths from cancer