If you’re concerned about who can access your MHR, here’s how you can protect your privacy. ASK You can request that your results are not uploaded to MHR by telling the person doing your test. Keep in mind you will need to make this request every time you get tested. USE THE APP You can log in to your My Health Record through either the ‘1800Medicare’ or ‘Health Direct’ app to manage your information. From there, you can delete or hide individual test results, hide your entire record, or even cancel your My Health Record completely.

MANAGE ACCESS Even if your test results aren’t uploaded (or are restricted or removed), Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) records may still contain information about testing and medications. If you do not want Medicare/PBS information included on your MHR, you can manage or remove access through myGov, or call the My Health Record helpline. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS You can see when healthcare organisations have accessed your record by logging in to My Health Record through your myGov account, or either the Medicare or Heathdirect app.

redbookonline.org.au The Red Book Online is our comprehensive sexual health resources made by sex workers, for sex workers. Information specific to sex work, such as sex worker skillshare and safer sex strategies. Information on symptoms, transmission, testing, treatment and prevention of STIs. Colour pictures of visible signs to help identify STIs on clients and/or yourself.

WILL MY GP KNOW I’M A SEX WORKER? Understanding recent changes to My Health Record and how this may affect your medical privacy.

My Health Record is an online record of your health history, including STI test results. My Health Record (MHR) is run by the Australian Government, and can be accessed by any healthcare provider involved in your care. This includes: Doctors, nurses, and admin staff at GP, specialist clinics or hospitals where you access care. Allied health professionals like physiotherapists, occupational therapists and at pharmacies.

Changes to My Health Record may put your privacy at risk. The law around My Health Record has changed. Labs must now upload test results (including STI tests) to My Health Record unless you ask them not to. This change could be risky for some people, such as sex workers, people who use drugs, LGBTQIA+ people, people living with STI or BBV, or culturally and linguistically diverse, and migrant communities. For example, you might see your family doctor for normal healthcare, and get STI tests at a sexual health clinic. Now, your family doctor will be able to see your STI test results. This might not be safe or comfortable for you. Unless you’ve already opted out - every person with a Medicare card also has MHR.

Even if you don’t have Medicare, you may still have a My Health Record and not realise. So it’s a good idea to check if you have one. You can call the My Health Record helpline if you are unsure whether you have one. The helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. My Health Record helpline 1800 723 471 | health.gov.au/contacts/my-health-record-help-line If you need an interpreter, call Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National). 131 450 | tisnational.gov.au For hearing or speech assistance, contact the National Relay Service (NRS). 1300 555 727 | accesshub.gov.au

Do you know who can access your private medical history? There have been recent changes to how My Health Record works, and there are things you can do to ensure you have control over what is kept private from certain health professionals like your GP. Visit redbookonline.org.au for more.

This Friday, we are tackling 'sex worker exclusionary feminism' - the kind of feminism that harms sex workers. Let’s unpack some common statements made by SWERFs and explain why they don’t hold up.

Sex ed sunday FISTING WITHOUT F**K UPS PART 02 OF 02 ANAL FISTING Whether you’re giving or receiving, anal fisting can be a (w)hole lot of fun.

Welcome to Part 02 of Fisting Without F**k Ups: Anal Fisting Today we’re talking about anal fisting. Some of the information from last week’s Sex Ed Sunday Vaginal Fisting is relevant to anal fisting. But there are lots of differences between the anus and vagina. For example, anal tissue tears more easily than vaginal tissue, and the anus isn’t self-cleaning. Anal fisting is the gradual insertion of a hand into the anus. This is an advanced sexual activity that requires time, trust, and communication. It’s not for everyone, but anyone of any gender or sexual orientation can enjoy anal play. Anal fisting carries a higher physical risk than other activities.

Over time, preparing for anal fisting can involve gradually training the body with fingers and toys. This can slowly increase size across weeks or months to allow the sphincters to adapt. A douche or enema before anal fisting can be helpful for hygiene but it’s not necessary. If the fistee does want to douche, it’s best not to do it within two hours of play.

A step-by-step guide: safer anal fisting. This resource provides general guidance on how to approach anal fisting with a focus on safety and communication. Some fisting basics that apply to anal fisting were covered in last Sunday’s vaginal fisting resource, such as glove use and short nails. TALK BEFORE TOUCH Discuss boundaries, experience levels, expectations and agree on clear check-in language and a signal/word that will stop the action at any point. LUBE, LUBE, LUBEUnlike the vagina, the anus doesn’t self-lubricate. Anal play needs way more lube than you think. Use thick, long lasting lube (silicone is often preferred). Reapply constantly, not just when it feels dry.

Part 2 of our fisting series is all about understanding that anal play is its own thing. Different anatomy means different risks and a whole lot more need for patience, lube, and communication. Find more sexual health information at redbook.org.au

This Friday, we're exploring the common misconception that you can't get STI from kissing. While STI transmission via kissing may be considered lower risk, it’s still a risk. For more sexual health information and tips by sex workers, for sex workers head to redbookonline.org.au

SEX WORK PRIDE INCLUDES TRANS PRIDE On Trans Day of Visibility we celebrate trans pride and resilience while fighting injustice and discrimination.

Trans Day of Visibility is recognised on 31 March to celebrate transgender, gender diverse, and non-binary experiences and achievements. It is also an important time to challenge transphobic discrimination and injustice.

Fighting the anti-rights movement. With a concentrated global effort by anti-trans and anti-sex work voices doing their best to roll back protections and hard fought freedoms, it is important we all continue to fight against politicians weaponising trans people for their own agendas. Trans sex workers face compounded stigma and discrimination, even more so if they are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, an Asian migrant sex worker, a person of colour, or have a disability and/or chronic illness. “We will not be silenced. We will not be erased. Our fight is one of survival and justice, and together, we will win.” Mish Pony, Scarlet Alliance CEO for Trans Day of Visibility 2025 rally held on Gadigal Land.

The fight for trans rights and sex worker rights have been and always will be intertwined. Trans sex workers are an integral part of the sex worker rights movement historically and in the present day. Find more resources about Trans Day of Visibility at the ‘What’s New’ section of linktr.ee/scarlet_alliance You can also head to the ‘Advocacy’ section to find briefing papers on the decriminalisation of sex work, and the policing of Asian migrant sex workers.

There is no sex worker pride without trans pride! Today we celebrate the achievements of the trans and gender diverse community, and vow to continue to fight discrimination and stigma.
Go to the 'What's New' section at linktr.ee/scarlet_alliance for resources on Trans Day of Visibility.

This week, we are learning about vaginal fisting! Despite the name, it’s not about force. It’s about slow expansion, relaxation and responsiveness. Join us again next Sunday for part two: a guide to safer anal fisting. In the meantime you can find more sexual health tips at redbookonline.org.au.

Our unique knowledge allows us to talk about sexual health, condoms, negotiation and consent in a nuanced, community focused way. Here are some perspectives from outreach peer workers and sex workers. “Peer support creates meaningful relationships within our community; we build trust by sharing our experiences.” “There are some conversations I’d just rather have with another sex worker.” “I started private, so I had no idea what a health check was until I started working at the brothel!”

State and territory governments must ensure sustainable, strategic and flexible funding for 100% peer led sex worker organisations. “Sometimes it’s sharing tips and tricks, accompanying someone to court or to make a police report, attending a doctor’s appointment, providing info around laws and our rights, or making referrals to other services where applicable.” “I’m so grateful for meeting other sex workers on my first brothel shift. From them, I learned more about consent than anywhere else.” “Our local sex worker org comes to the brothel all the time to give out free condoms and resources!” “The way peer support occurs broadly within our community is an incredible testament to the way sex workers look out for each other and have done so throughout history.”

redbookonline.org.au The Red Book Online is our comprehensive sexual health resources made by sex workers, for sex workers. Information specific to sex work, such as sex worker skillshare and safer sex strategies. Information on symptoms, transmission, testing, treatment and prevention of STIs. Colour pictures of visible signs to help identify STIs on clients and/or yourself.

FAQ FRDAY What exactly is peer education and why is it so important to sex workers? I LEARNED MORE ABOUT CONSENT IN A BROTHEL THAN ANYWHERE ELSE...

Peer education is a foundational aspect of sex worker rights. Sex worker peer education means outreach, health promotion, resources, support and information designed and delivered by sex workers, for sex workers. It values lived experience and recognises that sex workers are the best people to share relevant, practical and trusted information with our own communities.

Evidence supports peer education. Peer education is a proven HIV prevention strategy and has been central to achieving very low HIV and STI rates among sex workers in Australia. It encompasses everything from safety information, client negotiation strategies to navigating workplace rights. It is done via outreach, workshops, community events, online and print resources, and one-on-one peer support. Research shows these models reach communities that mainstream models don’t. IMPROVED SAFER SEX PRACTICES Research shows that peer education increases access to healthcare and STI testing, improves safer sex practices, and reduces stigma and isolation.

INFORMAL AND NOT INTIMIDATING Settings where peer education takes place are mostly informal, removing the power dynamics associated with mainstream healthcare. COMMUNITY BUILDING Peer education strengthens networks and solidarity rather than just simply transferring information. NON-JUDGEMENTAL SUPPORT Peer education is grounded in harm reduction and sex worker autonomy. It is non-judgemental and doesn’t push sex workers to exit the industry.

We keep us safe! Peer education is the backbone of the sex worker rights movement, not just within sex worker organisations but also more broadly among our community.
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Tell us in the comments how you've benefited from sex work peer education and/or support.

Monthly Mythbusting Sex Work is a driver of violence against women

MYTH Anti-violence and gender equality work in Australia often positions sex work and porn as key drivers of violence against women. To understand how this view exists in contemporary Australian culture, let’s go back to the emergence of women’s anti-violence work during the ‘70s. Much of this activism was influenced by second wave feminists who conceptualised sex work and pornography as drivers and instances of gendered violence. This ‘legacy’ has ongoing impacts today. Many anti-violence organisations, leaders, and researchers still view sex work and pornography as incompatible with gender equality. Policy and media discussions often frame sex work and pornography as enablers of violence against women.

Perspectives that portray sex work as inherently violent leaves sex workers excluded from mainstream feminist anti-gendered violence campaigns. These beliefs contribute to the stigma and discrimination that means sex worker victim-survivors are not believed and often prevents them from seeking support services and access to justice. SWERFS (sex work exclusionary radical feminists) oppose sex work using the language of feminism as a smokescreen for their anti-sex work bias.

TRUTH Anti-sex work and anti-porn rhetoric shifts the blame onto sex workers rather than holding perpetrators accountable. Research shows that anti–sex work rhetoric is linked to increased violence against sex workers, helping create a culture where harm against us is seen as acceptable. The misconception that violence is “part of the job” ignores the boundaries we create at work and overlooks our vulnerability to intimate partner violence. Similarly, the myth that sex work and porn drive gendered violence creates barriers to justice and support and allows perpetrators to evade accountability, perpetuating the cycle of violence. Violence against sex workers is compounded by the attitudes we face when we seek support and justice. Experiences of violence and barriers to services and justice are even greater for sex workers experiencing multiple forms of marginalisation.

Sex workers are part of the community. So what happens when we need to seek support from anti violence services who think we are the cause of the gendered violence problem? Read our briefing paper on "sex workers, family, domestic, and sexual violence" buff.ly/fddeG5o

WHAT TO DO IF A CONDOM BREAKS Having a condom break or slip off can be stressful, but there are things you can do to assess the risk and manage your client’s reaction.

Last week, we covered step-by-step instructions on what to do when a condom breaks in a booking. This week, we discuss risk assessment and client reactions. Certain factors can increase the level and type of risk of STI and pregnancy when a condom breaks. If any of these apply to your situation, it does not mean you did anything wrong. Being aware of them just means you can take the steps you need to best look after yourself. Part of looking after yourself also means being prepared for how clients might react. Having a few go-to responses in mind can help you avoid being put on the spot.

Risk factors to consider when the condom breaks or slips. IS THERE CUM? Did the condom break before or after ejaculation? While there is still a risk of STI/BBV transmission and pregnancy before ejaculation, it is significantly higher after it. IS THERE PREGNANCY RISK? If you can get pregnant, pregnancy is possible if any sperm is present, including in ‘pre cum’. SOMEONE CAN GET PREGNANT! Emergency contraception (the ‘morning after pill’) is available over the counter at pharmacies without a prescription. It is most effective if taken within 24 hours, but can be taken up to 4 - 5 days after unprotected intercourse. Did you know that a copper intra-uterine device (IUD) can be inserted by a healthcare provider up to 5 days after unprotected sex?

DID YOU SPOT A SYMPTOM? Was the condom covering any potential STI symptoms? If you find something that could be an STI symptom, make a note (or take a photo if you feel comfortable asking for the client’s consent). This can help you describe it to your healthcare provider. WAS IT A ROUGH SESSION? Were you having sex for a long time, or was it a rough or vigorous session? This can create tiny tears in the thin skin of your genitals, anal area, and mouth which make it easier for bacteria and viruses to get in. If a condom breaks or slips, avoid causing more irritation to the area. HIV TRANSMISSION RISK? If you are HIV-negative and think you may have been exposed to HIV, you can access Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) within 72 hours, which can reduce the chance of HIV transmission.

Today is part 2 of our series on what to do when a condom breaks. How do you manage client reactions and assess the risk? Share this one with a sex worker friend. ☂️ Find more more sexual health information at redbookonline.org.au

SEX WORKERS WANT RIGHTS, NOT RACISM Today is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers, Asian migrant sex workers and other sex workers of colour are on the frontlines fighting stigma and systemic racism, yet they are too often ignored and failed by laws that should protect them.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sex workers, Asian migrant sex workers and other sex workers of colour are on the frontlines of our movement, often failed and ignored by laws that should protect them.

FAQ Friday IF I WAS YOUR REAL GF, I WOULD... What’s the difference between Girlfriend Experience (GFE) and Porn star Experience (PSE)?

You might have heard the terms ‘GFE’ and ‘PSE’, but what do they actually mean? ‘Girlfriend Experience’ (GFE) and ‘Porn star Experience’ (PSE) are fantasy frameworks. GFE leans into chemistry, connection, and intimacy, while PSE focuses more on performance, intensity, and visual explicitness. Both terms are commonly used as a shorthand by sex workers and clients, but what they include ultimately varies from worker to worker. Defining the difference between them and being clear what you include within these services (if you offer them) is important as it protects your time, energy, and boundaries. How you label your services is up to you. Some sex workers don’t like these terms because they don’t reflect how they work, they feel too gendered, or they oversimplify services.

GFE Girlfriend experience generally creates the illusion of genuine interest and intimacy. It might include kissing, mutual oral sex, cuddling, and a slower pace. There might be more conversation and emotional attentiveness. PSE Porn star experience might include more explicit positions, dirty talk, sex toys, a higher energy pace, and less emphasis on conversation and connection. THEY’RE BOTH JUST LABELS What activities you offer for either service are up to you. Both services can be pre-negotiated within your boundaries and you should never feel pressure to do anything because a client wants it or other workers offer it.

Girlfriend, porn star, or something else? You decide. Talk to any full service sex worker and you’ll soon understand there’s no set activity list within any service label. “My service is kind of a mix of both PSE and GFE, like ‘naughty girlfriend’. I just offer that one service and I’m up front about what is included and what isn’t. The price is the same whether they want to do all the activities it includes or not.” Mixing GFE and PSE to get ‘the naughty girlfriend’. “I find it important to set the boundaries early on. I’ve had experiences where clients think GFE means access to my personal life.” Some workers dislike the term, but use it because it’s well known amongst clients.

Girlfriend experience or porn star experience? Any sex worker who uses or has used these labels for services knows that both are (sometimes) useful marketing tools.
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Drop your most chaotic "real life" girlfriend habits that clients would definitely not want included in the service in the comments.

Sex worker organisations oppose age assurance because: these systems expose sex workers and our clients to serious privacy and safety risks they increase surveillance and data‑breach harms there is no evidence that they are the best way to protect young people from harm. Are you a sex worker looking for support in navigating online advertising and work? Head to the ‘Join Us’ section of linktr.ee/scarlet_alliance to find your local sex worker peer organisation.

KEEP SEX WORKER ADS VISIBLE Online sex worker advertising does not have to be subject to new age assurance measures.

The new age assurance regulations in Australia mandate platforms that host porn or “sexualised” and “high‑impact” nudity to implement age assurance*. This does not automatically include sex worker ad directories. *Age assurance can mean privacy‑invasive tools like age estimation like facial scanning, or uploading photo ID and other identity documents to third‑party systems.

Scarlet Alliance has been repeatedly assured sex worker advertising directories are not a target of the new regulations.

Issues to be aware of. If the advertising directory allows pornography or “sexualised” and “high‑impact” nudity, it must put that content behind age assurance, either by limiting just the restricted content, or by age‑gating the whole site. This could also mean that advertising directories may require you to change or censor the photos on your profile. The age assurance regulations also require search engines to hide websites that host pornography or “sexualised” and “high‑impact” nudity from logged-in users unless they have verified their age and turned off safe search. The best way to get around this is to not be logged in, use a search engine that doesn’t have a login system (like DuckDuckGo), or use a VPN.

Age assurance measures expose sex workers and our clients to privacy and safety risks, and they increase surveillance. If you're a sex worker looking for advice on navigating online advertising, head to buff.ly/iag3DUU to find your local peer organisation.

Having a condom break or slip off during a booking can be stressful, but there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of STI/BBV. This is part one of a part two resource! Return next Sunday to read part two, or head to redbookonline.org.au for more resources made by sex workers, for sex workers.

Porn laws push users to illegal sites, OnlyFans creators warn As sites like Pornhub go dark, Australian OnlyFans creators and sex workers say they face lower earnings and privacy risks.

"Mish Pony, chief executive of peak sex worker body Scarlet Alliance, said the laws would push consumers toward offshore sites that host stolen and illegal content."

www.smh.com.au/technology/p...

Major porn sites have blocked Australian users to protest new laws. Will kids be better off?

New rules aimed at protecting kids online are now in force, but a major porn company has all but shut down its Australian presence instead.

Sex Ed Sunday Making a Complaint against a healthcare provider

Sex workers deserve affirming healthcare just like the rest of the community. If you’ve walked away from an experience with a healthcare provider and felt they treated you badly or differently because you’re a sex worker, you’re not alone. In 2022, 88% of sex workers in an Australian survey reported being treated negatively by a healthcare worker within the past 12 months.

You have the right to complain. In most cases, the simplest way to make a complaint is to contact the healthcare provider directly. You can make a complaint in writing, over the phone or in person. Every healthcare provider is required to have a complaints process, but this will be different depending on the type of service, the provider's location, and organisation size. Contact the healthcare provider or visit their website to learn about their complaints process. Sometimes, contacting the health service directly isn’t appropriate or you’re unable to resolve the issue directly. Each state and territory has their own formal avenue for health service or practitioner complaints. For example, the Health Care Complaints Commission, Health and Community Services Complaints Commission or the Health Ombudsmen.

There are many other organisations you can make a complaint to depending on your circumstances. For example, the Disabilities Service Commission, Private Health Insurance Ombudsman, and Mental Health Complaints Commissioner. Some healthcare complaint organisations allow complaints to be anonymous. However, anonymous complaints can be difficult to investigate.

Unfortunately, stigma against sex workers in healthcare is all too common. But you have the right to take action and make a complaint.
If you're a disabled and/or chronically ill sex worker who has experienced barriers in healthcare, we want to hear your story buff.ly/hZ6aGJj

NO BAD WHORES, JUST BAD LAWS. Fighting for women’s rights is about advocating for the rights, safety and dignity of all women.

Today is International Women’s Day. IWD began in the labour movement in the early 1900s. In 1910, the idea for a global day for women’s rights was approved at the International Women’s Conference, and gained momentum during the Russian Revolution. By 1917, 8 March was recognised as the day of the movement, and the United Nations formally recognised it as International Women’s Day in 1977. IWD is a day about working women’s rights, and sex workers are an integral part of this conversation.

Fighting for women’s rights is about advocating for the rights, safety and dignity of all women. This International Women’s Day we want to affirm that feminism without intersectionality is not real feminism. International Women’s Day began as a movement for women’s labour rights. Sex work is work, and excluding sex workers from the conversation only further marginalises people who already experience stigma and discrimination. SWERF (Sex work exclusionary radical feminism) is modeled after the acronym TERF (trans exclusionary radical feminism). SWERFS support mainstream feminism, but oppose sex work, and therefore deny women the right to engage in sex work.

Full decriminalisation means removing all laws that treat sex work differently from other jobs. This means getting rid of: criminal laws, special licensing systems, police powers and any other rules that treat you, your coworkers, your workplace or your clients differently from other workers and businesses. Laws that criminalise sex work, sex workers, and our clients push sex workers into unsafe environments without workplace protections and often without recourse against wage theft, abuse, or exploitation. Decriminalisation, alongside anti-discrimination and anti-vilification protections for sex workers is the only legal framework proven to improve sex workers’ safety, health, access to justice, and labour rights.

It's International Women's Day and that means including ALL women in the fight for rights, safety and dignity.
Read our Decriminalisation briefing paper buff.ly/Cw7MukR