Sex Worker DIARIES Application

Thank you for your interest in recording for Sex Worker Diaries Season 2 for TØS Journal – a publication for sex workers by sex workers.

TØS Journal is also a part of a PhD research project by TØS Journal editor and sex worker Ruby Summers (pseudonym).

Please read this information carefully. Ask questions about anything that you don’t understand or want to know more about. Before deciding whether or not to take part, you might want to talk about it with a relative or friend. Submission to of your audio diaries to TØS Journal and subsequent participation in this research is voluntary. If you don’t wish to take part, you don’t have to.

If selected to be involved, you will be paid $100AUD for recording for Sex Worker Diaries, which will be paid when you submit all 7 diaries.

What’s involved

If you decide to take part, your participation would involve recording a 5-minute audio diary every second day for a fortnight totalling seven diary entries. These diaries will be completely self-directed by you! This means we will not be providing you with specific questions to answer and instead these audio diaries will be a reflection of whatever part of your day you choose to focus on. The diaries will be recorded by you on your phone and then emailed to Ruby.

Up to eight sex workers in total will keep these audio diaries. These diaries will be published on the TØS Journal website and other podcast platforms (eg. Spotify) as both audio and written diaries, transcribed by Ruby.

We are excited about this project as it gives sex workers the opportunity to tell their everyday stories in their own words.

If you haven’t already, it might be a good idea to listen to Season 1 to get an idea of what the final product may be like: https://www.tosjournal.com/diaries.

Content Guidelines

Audio diaries and transcriptions will be edited for grammar and clarity. You will be shown the edited version before publication of the content online and we will not publish it if you aren’t happy with it or believe you or others have been portrayed incorrectly in the audio diary or transcript.

We ask that you do not “out” any sex workers in your diaries and that you instead focus on your individual experience.

Vetting Process

Before submitting to Tøs Journal, you will need to be vetted by the peer-researcher (Ruby) using your choice of the following methods:

If you are currently "out" will need to provide an established work social media account or website.

If you are a sex worker who is not "out", you will be vetted through any current membership to peer-only spaces (Facebook groups or sex worker only memberships). Please provide the name of any vetted sex worker only spaces you are involved in.

If you do not have either of the above options please contact us at ruby@tosjournal.com and we can discuss other vetting options.

Why is TØS Journal also a research project? What does this mean for members of the sex industry?

TØS Journal is a part of a PhD research project that will investigate how independent publishing can provide creative platforms for specific communities, in this case, sex workers.

In order to achieve the objectives of the project, we want to produce an independent lifestyle publication for sex workers by sex workers.

Limited research has been done in the field of sex worker peer-publishing and independent magazine publishing in Australia. This research seeks to address this.

This project aims to provide a platform for sex workers to tell their stories in their own words.

Other relevant information about the research project

This project will involve Ruby Summers publishing TØS Journal online and in print as part of a PhD through creative practice. Results will be published and presented as part of Ruby’s PhD. Research data will not be published in TØS Journal, but articles submitted for publication will be.

Do I have to take part in this research project?

Participation in any research project is voluntary. If you do not wish to take part, you do not have to. However, by submitting an audio diary to TØS Journal you are agreeing to participate in the research project. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the project at any stage.

Your decision whether to take part or not to take part, or to take part and then withdraw, will not affect your relationship with TØS, the researchers or with RMIT University.

Submitting an audio diary for publication is an indication of your consent to participate in the study. You can withdraw your audio diary at any time if you change your mind about having them included in the study, before we have published the magazine.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

We cannot guarantee or promise that you will receive any benefits from this research, however you may appreciate contributing to knowledge. Whilst there is no direct benefit to you as a participant, we hope that this project will ultimately contribute to further understandings of independent magazine publishing at this turbulent time in the publishing industry and also provide a platform for sex worker voices.

Risks

There is a minimal risk of professional harm associated with this project as you will be publishing articles and audio diaries in a public platform. This is the same risk associated with creating content for any publication. However, given the nature of the publication and that all involved in its publication will have formerly or currently been involved in the sex industry this risk is increased.

To reduce this risk you will also have final approval of the audio diaries prior to publication and all diaries will be published under pseudonyms, that are not your work names, to reduce the risk of identification and any personal or professional risk that may hold for you. However, it is important to understand your voice may still be identifiable.

A sex worker editorial committee will also play a role in helping to ensure that anything erroneous is not erroneous or politically, socially or culturally insensitive. You are also free to withdraw from the project without any consequences prior to the publication of the audio diaries.

While we have taken steps to try and protect you against this, there is a small chance of professional harm associated with participation in this project as there is a potential of “outting” due to the public nature of TØS Journal. To reduce this risk, we strongly recommend that you use a pseudonym or preferred name you are comfortable with while working with TØS Journal to reduce the risk of identification and any personal or professional risk that may hold for you. It is important to understand that even when published under a pseudonym, your voice may still be identifiable to people who know you. Please keep this risk of “outting” in mind before consenting to take part in this project.

If at any stage of the research you are concerned about your involvement or if you find participation in the project uncomfortable, you should discuss this with Ruby, who will be happy to discuss your concerns confidentially and suggest appropriate follow-up, if necessary. If you don’t want to talk to a member of the research team you can contact the Human Research Ethics Committee.

Funding

This project will be self-funded by Ruby Summers. Any revenue arising from the production and sale of TØS Journal products or workshops will be distributed back into the publication and will be used for production costs such as printing, paying contributors and other costs associated with the publication and management of TØS Journal.

Please click here to read the full contributor information & consent form.

Your submission of this form to TØS Journal will act as implied consent that you wish to participate in the research project. Before making a submitting your interest please ensure you have;