Regent

Let's not cheer on the targeting of street based SWers' clients. People who are street-based are already at the greatest risk of violence and police harassment and are likely to be the most economically in need and marginalized. We're not going to avoid police harassment or decrease stigma of indoor SW by vilifying people who work differently and their clients. Stigma impacts us all, and the negative assumptions and stereotypes about street-based SWers' clients that hobbyists believe are the same negative stereotypes that the general population believes about all SW clients.

Routine herpes (hsv) testing is not recommended, because there's no evidence that it improves health outcomes, and for people who have an asymptomatic infection, might actually have negative health outcomes (poor mental health outcomes because of stigma.) Most people will have HSV1 in their lifetime. That is the strain that usually lives around the mouth. About 20% of people will have HSV2, the strain that usually lives around the genitals. However, each strain can appear on other parts of the body, and genital HSV1 infections are becoming more common - up to 50% of new genital infections are HSV1. If you get a herpes blood test, it will tell you whether or not you have HSV (though there are different rates of false positives with different types of tests.) However, not all labs will do serotyping, so for example, in Manitoba, you can find out if you have HSV, but not which strain (blood test only.) So let's say you get a blood test and it comes back positive. You don't know what strain you have so if you've never had symptoms, you have no way to know which area of the body you might shed the virus from. Without knowing which area of your body is infected, your options to reduce risk of transmission are limited - you can use a condom and gloves when you have sex (always a good idea anyway), and you can take a daily viral suppressant, which reduces your risk of asymptomatic transmission by about 50%. (Without suppressive therapy, asymptomatic shedding happens between 1 and 10% of the time, depending on the study.) Suppressive therapy is a good fit for some people but not everyone. It can be expensive and like all drugs, there can be side effects or contraindications. So from a public health and individual health perspective, routine testing is not recommended because it's not going to make things better or reduce transmission significantly, but it is costly, both in terms of medical resources and patient mental health. Genital herpes is highly stigmatized, where as oral herpes (cold sores) are generally considered no big deal - yet they can be caused by the exact same virus. This is not to say that you shouldn't pursue testing if you are high risk, but it's important to know the limitations of testing for herpes and why your doctor will most likely say no if you ask for it. Before you invest time and money into getting tested you should also consider what the possible outcomes are and if testing positive would change your behaviour in any way that reduces risk or if it would just stress you out a lot.

oral to genital transmission of herpes is pretty common - up to 50% of new genital herpes infections are type 1, which is typically known as oral herpes. oral infections of type 2 herpes is quite rare without genital infection of type 2, in the limited research that's been done on this. The risk of transmission per sex act is quite low when infected parties are asymptomatic, so I wouldn't be overly concerned about transmission, but I would personally opt to use barriers for oral sex for this among many reasons. Most people who have herpes are asymptomatic, and asymptomatic testing for herpes is not recommended (and not very useful), so many, if not most, people who are infected don't know. However, herpes can be transmitted asymptomatically.

We had a pretty good presence in the march, with a fair number of red umbrellas and signs. There are photos on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WinnipegWG?fref=ts I think this may have been Winnipeg's first public demonstration for sex workers' rights, so I'm quite pleased.

Today! Please come out and show your support!

Come out to the May Day rally on May 1. We'll be joining the Winnipeg Labour Council at City Hall at 5:30, to call for sex work to be recognized as real work, and for labour rights for sex workers. We'll be there with our signs and red umbrellas. Come out, join us, support us. We'll be a group of sex workers and allies (health professionals, clients, researchers, academics and other supporters.) No need to identify yourself as a client or sex worker - just come out and hold a red umbrella and show your support :) You can find more information here: Winnipeg Working Group event: https://www.facebook.com/events/696033777173631/ General May Day event: https://www.facebook.com/events/798623103558773/

https://www.facebook.com/events/546273775505552/?notif_t=plan_user_joined Just a reminder that the Winnipeg Working Group is holding an information session on the new laws Wednesday evening.

Hop onto my table and I'll give you a thorough exam. I'll check you from head to toe, making sure to pin point any areas that might require doctor's additional attention. This might hurt a little, but it's for your own good - without knowing exactly what ails you, I can't prescribe the proper treatment. Maybe you just need a good work out on a regular basis, or perhaps something a little more intense, like electro therapy. Oh dear, I detect some inflammation. Let's see what we can do to get that swelling down. Are you ashamed to take your clothes off in front of me? Do you feel dirty? I'm a professional, but you can request to have a nurse in the room too, observe and help with your exam and treatment. You're in the very best of hands, just relax. You're not going to make me strap you down and gag you in order to finish this exam, now are you? For more information, to book an appointment or for other fetishes, please email [email protected] Available 8:30am - 5pm, Monday through Friday. Evenings and weekends by request.

So after a great number of calls and attempts to engage city officials via social media, I was able to talk to someone at the Counter Exploitation Unit. Sounds like Winnipeg does not yet have a position on exactly how these laws will be enforced but should have more concrete information in a couple of weeks, after a meeting with the Crown. So it will likely be business as usual in Winnipeg for the next little bit, as they've been applying enforcement in an asymmetrical way is similar to the new laws anyway.

I don't think we'll be inviting police to speak or attend, but we will be doing our best to get accurate and up to date information on law enforcement priorities in Winnipeg and specifically for the "Counter Exploitation" Unit, to share with everyone. We're still organizing speakers. bubba101, I wouldn't worry too much about being seen at this event - it will be a very mixed crowd with lots of people who aren't sex workers or clients in attendance. But, if you don't feel comfortable attending, we will be providing resources during and afterwards.

Hi all, we're putting on an event on December 17, International Day Against Violence Against Sex Workers. We will be providing practical information on what C-36 means, including printed resources and a Q&A session. This event is open to the public, and we encourage sex workers, clients, allies, public health workers, and anyone who is interested in this to attend (you won't out yourself as a client or worker just by showing up.) Please check the link below for detailed information about the event. https://www.facebook.com/events/546273775505552/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

I primarily advertise on BP because that is where you advertise in Winnipeg. I get a bit of business from ads here, the vast majority of it from BP and almost nothing from any of the other places I advertise. So it depends a lot on the city. I only have a single ad on BP which I move to the top every now and then. I don't post multiple ads, because I don't need to - my category is small and ads get pushed down very slowly. Look at a lot of factors, use your best judgment, but don't assume that everyone on BP is a fake or scammer.

It's really hard to say how this is going to be enforced in Winnipeg. The "Counter-Exploitation" unit (formerly Vice), is really small (nine members, two of whom are dedicated to sex trade stuff) http://winnipeg.ca/police/ceu/, so there may be little to no enforcement when it comes to indoor sex workers. Or there might be an uptick in enforcement at the beginning. We just don't know. The Winnipeg Working Group sent letters to all of the mayoral candidates during the election, to ask how they intend to enforce C-36, but Bowman didn't bother responding, so I'm unclear about his stance on anything related to sex work. With regards to being confronted by the police, I think it all depends on the attitude and assumptions of the officers on scene. Even if there's no real evidence to suggest that you intend to purchase sexual services, they may make assumptions based merely on your presence and your gender. They may arrest you even if they have no intention of charging you. They may also threaten or try to intimate you with threats of being arrested or charged for other things if you don't co-operate. If you do have an encounter with the police, know your rights and don't say anything more than you're legally required to. http://winnipegcopwatch.org/ has some good local resources. With regard to communication, I believe phone calls have the best legal protections around privacy, though I could be mistaken. DO NOT send money via Paypal. Paypal is aggressively anti-sex work, and will seize and hold funds if they suspect that they are for sexual products or services, OR if they suspect that one of the people involved provides sexual services, even if they aren't using Paypal for those transactions (eg someone who performs in porn uses Paypal to sell vintage clothes on eBay, account frozen.) The Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform just updated their Q&A on C-36. The section that discusses ramifications for clients starts on page 3 https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3mqMOhRg5FeMVRlTk93Q2ZBS2c&usp=drive_web&tid=0B3mqMOhRg5FeNlY4ZkxFb2pLaWM#list It's 19 pages and I recommend everyone read it. I know that's more questions than answers, but I hope it helps somewhat.

I specialize in kink and really enjoy all of the things you mention. :)

I have been tested at a variety of clinics, all of which will only call if there is something that needs a follow up or is of concern. You can probably call and ask if your test results are ready, but in my experience, if you want the results, you generally have to go in and get them in person.

I read one of Senator Jaffer's transcripts the other day, and it sounds like while it took her a while, she really does get it. http://mobinajaffer.ca/senate-chamber/senate-speeches/october-21-2014-second-reading-bill-c-36/ Is there a different transcript that you're referring to? Also, still not too late for sex workers, clients and allies to submit a brief.

I went to see Lincoln at http://vitalitymassagetherapyclinic.com/ recently. It was an incredibly deep, strong massage, quite relaxing too. He's a RMT, not a MA, but if you're looking for a strong therapeutic massage he's great. Probably one of the strongest massage therapists I've been to.

The bill will come into effect once the Senate and House of Commons agree on an identical bill and it receives royal assent. I'm unclear as to how C-36 is going to affect my business, particularly the nuances of it. I have no doubt that it will make it harder to screen, and that business will take a hit until people can see how the law is being enforced. It's also unclear to me what kind of activities will be covered under C-36. My services are all kink related, and while it's all sexual to me, it's hard to say where the line is going to be drawn. I don't ever have sex with clients, at least not any conventional definition of sex. If any Winnipeggers are interested in working to combat criminalization, we have a working group here that's part of the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform. https://www.facebook.com/WinnipegWG If you want more info on how to get involved directly, email us: [email protected] Sex workers and allies are encouraged to participate.

In Winnipeg my choice for a consistently amazing dining experience is Segovia. Beautiful tapas with a menu that changes frequently and is always top notch. Bistro 7 1/4 does a wonderful moules-frites. Deer + Almond varies a bit - some days it's amazing, some days is just quite good. Their cocktails menu is always interesting and delicious. If you don't care about the experience but just want really good food for cheap, there's no shortage of little hole in the wall restaurants here. Some of my favourites are Shawarma Time, East Ocean (Chinese), Kimbaek (Korean), Punjab Sweet House (vegetarian Indian buffet), Burrito Del Rio, Thida's (Thai), Magic Thailand, Coconut Garden (Vietnamese), Pho No. 1 (Vietnamese), Nhu Quynh (Vietnamese), Double Greeting Snack House (Chinese), Oscar's Deli, Tropiki's (Caribbean).

I will be flexible 5 minutes in either direction to account for watches maybe being set different. Arriving early is worse than arriving late for me though. My pre-session time is my prep time, and so if someone shows up 10 or 15 minutes early, I'm not ready and I'm not even going to answer the door. My location is near many coffee shops and restaurants, so if a client gets into the area very early, there's lots of options for killing time.

I would go, though I haven't yet. The person who does nude yoga here in Winnipeg is a bit odd but he's a good yoga instructor and very nice. I would expect nude yoga to be much like the nude beach. Everyone minding their own business, non-sexual and very safe feeling.

There's also the Aquarius bathhouse, if you're comfortable with something a little more public.

Eh, depends on who you ask. Some people use transgender and transsexual interchangably. Others see a conceptual difference, though may not all agree on that difference. In my experience, there's often a generational gap in how the language gets used, with older trans people identifying as transsexual and younger trans people identifying more as transgender, regardless of surgical status. People who are not interested in surgery or hormones or who identify outside the gender binary (something other than a man or a woman) often prefer transgender over transsexual. Language is a complicated and nuanced topic that's always under debate and shifting within trans communities. I would always say, don't make any assumptions about a person's body or surgeries based on how their identify, and always respect a person's self identity. Best is to ask what pronouns are appropriate to use with a person, but as a general rule, you should never call a trans woman "he" or "it", and if you're not able to ask, "she" is probably the most respectful assumption to make. This depends on so many different factors, such as your perceptiveness, what type of surgery she's had, how her healing process went, what you might believe is the normal range of variation for vulvas... Surgical techniques for constructing a vagina and vulva are very, very good these days. Often you would never be able to tell that there had been any surgery. You really can't know, unless the people you've been with have told you. A lot of people have an idea in their head of what a trans person looks like, but like with cis people, trans people run the gamut from very feminine to very masculine, and aligning very closely or not at all with mainstream standards of beauty. I know trans women who look like magazine models and I know cis women who naturally grow beards. We get a lot of narrow messages about what makes a person a woman or a man, but in reality, we are all so diverse that there is no one set of defining features that can externally define a person. (Cis just means not trans. So if when you were born they said, "It's a boy!" and you now identify as a man, you're cis. Same deal for baby girls who are now women. It's more respectful to say cis than natural born or real. :))

Since you mention pursuing a relationship, it sounds like you are interested in maybe dating this woman, and that she's not a sex worker (or at least you're not meeting her as a sex worker, and maybe you don't know what she does for a living)? So, my comments are based on that assumption - my apologies if it's incorrect, though this should be mostly relevant either way. First, I think it's really important to remember that trans women are women. They may have different bits than you're used to on women, but that doesn't make them any less real women. Like having sex with cis women (cis means not trans), sex with trans women is going to be a unique encounter each time - sex is a dynamic that's created by two people together. It's okay to feel unsure - the important thing is to communicate a lot. Ask her how she likes to be touched and what language she likes when talking about her body. Some trans people have a lot of dysphoria that can be triggered by certain words or being touched in certain ways, so just use your words. If she has a penis, it may or may not get hard. A lot of trans women who have been on estrogen for a while don't get erections any more, without the aid of Viagra or other meds. She also may or may not ejaculate still. She may be a top or a bottom or versatile - definitely something to talk about. Roles may not be quite as easy to assume as they would be with a cis woman. A lot of straight sex between two cis people often defaults to penis in vagina sex without a lot of discussion. You should expect to talk a little bit more about what kinds of sex you two will have, and maybe you'll need to have a broader idea of what counts as sex, beyond putting your cock in a hole (or maybe you won't.) I think it's also really important to think about the experiences trans women have. Like all women, there's a real risk of violence at the hands of men, but in addition to male violence against women, they also have to content with transphobic violence. Recognize that she's taking a big risk with her safety by meeting a stranger off the internet, honour any safety measures she decides to take and be extremely respectful of her boundaries. Trans women are murdered all the time simply because people are uncomfortable with their attraction to them or because people can't see them as human beings. Call her by the name she gives you and use the pronouns she uses for herself (most likely she & her). I'd recommend reading this guide and checking out some other resources, so that when you meet, you can just focus on being your best self: http://www.autostraddle.com/getting-with-girls-like-us-a-radical-guide-to-dating-trans-women-for-cis-women-160269/ Be awesome, be kind and be okay with not knowing everything (but be willing to listen and learn!) Absolutely. Trans women are women, and no matter what she has between her legs now, or in the future, doesn't change that. Dating or having sex with a trans person doesn't change your sexual orientation in any way - if you're a straight guy who's attracted to women, and you find a trans woman hot, well hey, you just met another woman that you find attractive. :)

Any question that starts off with, "Do women like..." is a silly question, because no matter what the second part of the question is, the answer, 100% of the time will be, "Some women do like it and some women don't like it." The only thing that really matters is, does the woman you're with like it? The only way to find that out is through communication, and with something like spanking, it's always a good idea to use your words and ask before doing. I like being spanked by certain people in certain circumstances. In the right scene, with the right partner, I can take an impressive beating and really enjoy myself (though I prefer other types of impacts over open-hand spanking.) But I would never want to be spanked by a client - that's just not the kind of dynamic I have with anyone I see. With my clients, if there is to be spanking, I'm the one delivering it.