International Sex Workers’ Day was founded 46 years ago today, when over 100 sex workers started an 8-day protest against inhumane working conditions and occupied the Église Saint-Nizier church in Lyon, France. Since then, sex workers and allies across the globe have come together to march for their rights and commemorate the protest, making today the perfect time to chat with our guest, Pomma Granet (they/them) on their experience in the adult industry.
Pomma is a passionate advocate and informal educator on topics related to sex workers rights and digital discrimination. They are also the newest board member of our partner organization, The Cupcake Girls. For the past nine years, they have been using their social platforms and personal experiences as a sex worker to spread awareness about issues surrounding civil rights, human rights, and legislation affecting those in the adult industry.
Pomma Granet and Alex Kekesi at XBIZ Miami 2024
Thanks so much for joining us today, Pomma! First off, tell us what inspired you to get into sex work.
I started dabbling in the industry once I graduated since it was the most accessible to me as someone who is disabled and at that time accommodating a complicated home life. First it was camming and clip sites, soon that turned into fetish work and escorting.
I’ve struggled a lot internally as someone who’s autistic and disabled. I’ve always struggled with feeling like I don’t belong, and I knew early that whatever world I was inheriting was not sustainable for myself and people like me. Sex work gave me the flexibility I needed and still provides me with some kind of fulfillment which is still true today.
In addition to being a self-described “Professional WetDream,” you’re known for your advocacy work. What led you to speak out on topics related to sex workers rights?
I was genuinely suffering at the hands of digital discrimination and censorship. It was agonizing building whole platforms—connecting with fans or other workers just to wake up and see it all wiped away. I was working so hard just to lose it every few months. I was scared. The censorship got so bad I was turning to other forms of sex work, admittedly sometimes not the safest forms, to get by and I was so angry. I went from a blooming industry and community full of opportunity to feeling like a bug under a rock, waiting for the next sweep or abuse, and it was exasperating my already precarious mental health and lifestyle.
I’ve always had a loudmouth and tenacious fortitude. I've been passionate about intersectional feminism, human rights and harm reduction for as long as I can remember. If I wasn’t going to be allowed to be hot and create in peace, someone was going to hear about it, so I started speaking out. After SESTA/FOSTA hit, I started realizing this was so much bigger than what governments were preparing for sex workers. I knew there was a way I could try and break this stuff down in a way that not only humanizes this community but gets civilians connecting dots, thinking bigger. I had no idea how much of what I’m saying was going to resonate with others!
A lot of people feel the same way you do. On the other hand, what is the most empowering thing about being a sex worker?
That’s a good question. I love being a sex worker. It keeps my creativity flowing! I am accountable to myself and that has built lifelong confidence and skills. It gives me the flexibility I need to accommodate my disability, family, and mental health. The places I've gone, the people I’ve met! I can see the effect my intimacy work has on others, and it often fills my heart with joy. I feel like my time, energy and expertise are rewarded in ways civilian jobs could never. I know myself, what I expect and what I’m capable of in ways I didn’t before, and I am so endlessly grateful for that.
Personally, I feel like there’s so much weight and stigma around the word “empowerment.” While sex workers are often talking about what’s going to bring them home safe, those not in this industry want to talk about empowerment as some kind of distraction typically. I encounter so many people who always want to insist there’s no way anyone could ever find this work empowering, and I find that to be lacking. No work is truly empowering but all of us are due for a BIG labor reform with sex workers’ voices at the forefront of policy and conversation affecting their livelihoods. Sure, I got into this because I really needed to be accommodated and didn’t have other options, but I genuinely find a lot of fulfillment in this work and think that it should be respected.
Your impactful IG reels highlighting issues that affect sex workers always leave a lasting impression, what goes into prepping and creating these reels?
Why thank you, it kind of depends! Sometimes I’m dreadfully ‘inspired’ by current events, other times it’s me reacting to content folks send. A common theme though is me recording them and re-recording… I try to be so aware of my tone and language choices as my tone is perceived before my actual message which sucks. The tone policing (along with the deplatforming) has me thinking twice constantly. Many folks genuinely replace all critical thinking with disgust, hostility and confusion once they realize a sex worker is delivering a message which makes things very difficult.
It’s genuinely so challenging to convey nuance and perspective around taboo topics on hostile platforms without adding so many disclaimers! Sometimes I jot down notes, sometimes I marinate and think long and hard about what I want to say. Other times, I’m purely screaming into a black mirror speaking off the top of my head! I don’t really have a posting schedule and sometimes I put a lot of pressure on myself. I constantly feel like I should be researching more and expanding more and posting more, but it’s truly endless. I try really hard to give myself grace.
Do you get any pushback for posting advocacy-related content on your socials?
A lot of the “pushback” I get is from folks misunderstanding what I’m doing, often those who already struggle to perceive me and my work objectively. Some people conflate my advocacy with advocating for trafficking and abuse, which is horrible and incorrect. Others sometimes think I do this only because I’m being paid, nope! All for free! Some people accuse me of being performative or selfish, but I don’t see them putting themselves out there to any capacity. Pushback I can handle, it’s just very difficult when people utilize discriminatory terms of service to mass report or weaponize reporting features. That’s where things get tricky.
Apart from the pushback, what are some positive outcomes that have resulted from standing up for the rights of sex workers?
Speaking up has connected me with a community of people who are also super passionate about raising awareness and pushing back. Some of the topics I talk about can be really challenging to navigate mentally and socially. There are times I've even really surprised myself with how I've managed to present things— I attribute so much of that to those who’ve come before me. As I continue, I remain hopeful.
I think more people are being turned onto the plight sex workers are struggling through, in some way or another. As the years went on, I used to wonder if shouting into the void was doing any good, but I’ll meet people who’ll share the impact my and other sex workers advocacy has had on them. I see us being nodded at in the media in ways I haven’t seen before. I see the shock and concern on people’s faces when we talk about banking discrimination and the conflations of labor with abuse. They’re confused but they want to learn! I’m trying to be louder than a culture that doesn’t understand us. Folks genuinely don’t always understand what’s going on or how it also affects them, but people care, and I want to build with them.
What would you say is the biggest challenge facing sex workers today and what can allies or those in the industry do about it?
Sex workers are up against a beast socially and culturally… there is very little humanizing us, basically nothing protecting us. The vicious communication tactic of conflating our work with abuse and trafficking has caused profound continuous damage—no one will recognize the work aspects of sex work. Only the sex. It leaves other groups scared to include us since they’re worried it’ll ‘undermine’ or muddle the work they’re already doing when we’re all being affected by similar opposition and oppression. It keeps us separated. Sex workers are boldly left out of feminist movements and labor conversations while we continuously show up in solidarity. It’s thoroughly dehumanizing.
There is a hypervisibility around this industry and work that’s not serving us. Civilians want to emulate sex workers so badly but don’t want to extend solidarity or humanity which is awful. The visibility isn’t destigmatizing this labor or decriminalizing this job or decarcerating those who have been imprisoned, but it is inspiring ill intended legislation. It is further criminalizing and creating an inaccessibility around compliant legal forms of sex work which means those doing more precarious forms of this labor are drowning. It is allowing everybody to be an authority on the industry except for those actively in it, and that’s messed up! I need civilians to understand the difference between abuse and labor. I deeply encourage other sex workers to know that their voices matter as much as their lives.
Our voices in the situation matter, which brings us to the next topic. You’ve recently become a board member of The Cupcake Girls, one of our community partners. Tell us about that.
I am on the board of The Cupcake Girls! It’s been almost a year. For folks curious, The Cupcake Girls is an anti-trafficking organization that recognizes the agency and labor of sex workers and that’s unique. They do various kinds of outreach for those in the sex trade, if that be by choice or not and I really believe in their mission.
I was actually really scared to take that position, I want to be honest about that. I was primed for some kind of role in nonprofit work and the adults around me really tried to hone my tenacity, leadership skills and abilities early, but I knew quickly that I didn’t enjoy those environments for many reasons. Regardless, I’m so happy I said yes! I’m so very thankful for the amazing opportunities The Cupcake Girls have provided me and the experience I've gained has really helped me further hone my message, confidence and abilities. Their resources help make me feel less alone. I have people I can turn to.
Candace, Freedom, Brooke Tilli, Jade, JuicyPomma and Katthekunttt at XBIZ Miami 2025
We’re happy to hear you’ve found your people! Are there any other creators or organizations in the industry using their voices for advocacy that you’d like to shout out?
Absolutely, I do! Shout out to Decrim305 in Miami, Florida for doing the work on and offline. Voices of Florida is also an incredible group advocating. Groups like the Erotic Performers Alliance United and the Sex Workers Action Alliance are bringing us together at events. The Ishtar Collective, which is a resource for industry professionals based out of Vermont, is run by some of the most wonderful people. The Cupcake Girls, Woodhull Freedom Foundation, The Free Speech Coalition and New Moon Network are all organizations connecting the bridge between what’s affecting sex workers and how that affects everyone else.
There are dozens of sex workers advocating, organizing and educating independently across various platforms.
I think because of digital discrimination, our perspectives are often either shadow banned or erased, but they’re there. You can find them in each other’s comment sections, tagged in each other's posts. It’s not uncommon for us to expand off each other on platforms, such as Instagram or TikTok. You just have to dig around a little to find us and we will always pop back up.
Does advocating against injustice get exhausting? How do you decompress and what are some of your favorite things to do outside of work?
Oh, of course. Especially with the state of the world right now and some of the things that are going on, I ache so deeply. In terms of decompressing, I’m working on relaxing! I have an amazing support system of friends that reflect a lot of love and care back. They don’t let me self-isolate.
I really enjoy watching some anime, working on new cosplay and sometimes I even attend anime conventions! I recently got into rollerblading and that’s been so much fun, I love hitting a rink for events or just to skate with my friends. I love curating new looks and doing photo shoots. Alternative fashion has always been a huge hobby of mine. When I’m feeling a certain way, I really try to lean into my creativity to refresh myself. Sometimes I’ll go to my local goth club to socialize. There is no shame in the occasional private sob session or avoidant nap, anything to just take a second to breathe.
Any parting advice for other creators who’d like to get involved in advocacy work?
With my whole chest, y’all are so much more capable than you’ve ever been led to believe. I cannot do this alone, no one can, and no one has! No one person can topple the culture against us, but all together we can be overwhelming. You can speak up, you can push back! Mistakes will happen but you are so much more than your mistakes because you’re not disposable. Having the humility to understand you don’t have to know everything, you just have to be open to learning from others will bring you so far. You don’t need to be perfect. You just have to try!
Others who have come before us have dedicated their whole lives to speaking up, they sacrificed everything to make what progress they could. I believe we must honor those sacrifices and understand that our mutual fight for liberation extends so much further than just what affects us personally. My courage to advocate does not stop at sex workers rights, it extends further because our struggles and oppression globally are interlinked; we are only as safe as our most vulnerable. Folks always think they need permission or need to be affiliated with something to jump in. You don’t! I opened my phone and just started posting, you can too.
Before we go, are you working on any projects or upcoming community events that you want to share?
I’ve been traveling a lot, which has been taking up a lot of my time. There is a Slut Walk event in Miami, Florida put on by Decrim305 that I’m hoping to attend this year! Everyone should go check that out. June is Pride Month! So, I’ll absolutely be doing what I can to not only be attending some local events but also put out videos talking about the intersection between Trans rights and sex workers rights this month.
If you’d like to get involved in sex worker advocacy like Pomma, but don’t know where to start, visit The Cupcake Girls here to learn more. They offer numerous ways you can get involved and make a real difference in the community.
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